In a statement released on Friday, the EFF criticised the US government for launching airstrikes in northwest Nigeria, reportedly in Sokoto State, which US President Donald Trump publicly hailed as “powerful and deadly” attacks against what he described as Islamic State (ISIL) targets.
South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) group has sharply condemned United States airstrikes carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day, describing them as an act of “military imperialism” and a dangerous violation of African sovereignty.
In a statement released on Friday, the EFF criticised the US government for launching airstrikes in northwest Nigeria, reportedly in Sokoto State, which US President Donald Trump publicly hailed as “powerful and deadly” attacks against what he described as Islamic State (ISIL) targets.
“The Economic Freedom Fighters condemns the United States of America's airstrikes carried out on Nigerian soil on 25 December 2025,” the party said, adding that the strikes represent “a reckless disregard for African sovereignty” and a “dangerous escalation of American military imperialism on the African continent.”
The EFF took particular issue with President Trump’s framing of the attacks, accusing him of using “highly inflammatory and religiously charged language” to justify the intervention.
According to the statement, Trump portrayed the United States as a “self-appointed saviour” by claiming that Christians were being “viciously killed” in northern Nigeria.
“This narrative did not emerge in a vacuum,” the EFF said.
“For weeks leading up to these strikes, Western political figures and media outlets have deliberately overhyped and distorted reports of violence in northern Nigeria, reducing a complex crisis into a simplistic and dangerous story of ‘Christian killings by Muslims.’”
The party argued that violence in northern Nigeria is driven by a mix of poverty, criminal banditry, insurgent groups and state failure, affecting “Christians, Muslims, and traditional communities alike.”
“By selectively amplifying a religious narrative, the United States manufactured moral justification for military intervention,” the statement said, accusing Washington of turning “Nigerian suffering into propaganda for imperial violence.”
The EFF also criticised the repeated use of the “ISIL-linked” label, saying it has historically been deployed to legitimise U.S. military action across the Middle East and Africa.
“Once a territory is branded ‘ISIL-linked,’ it becomes open season for American missiles, drones, and airstrikes, with no meaningful accountability,” the party said, warning that the same “script” used in other regions is now being applied in West Africa.
Equally scathing was the EFF’s assessment of Nigeria’s response to the strikes. The party described a statement by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs praising U.S.–Nigeria “security cooperation” as a form of capitulation.
“This response does not reflect a confident or independent state,” the EFF said. “It signals to the world that African governments can be pressured, persuaded, or politically cornered into legitimising foreign military action on their own soil.”
The party warned Nigeria against allowing the U.S. to operate militarily within its borders, arguing that American interventions are never mutually beneficial.
“We warn the government of Nigeria that the USA has no history of making any military, economic or diplomatic interventions in any nation which are mutually beneficial,” the statement said, claiming U.S. involvement is always aimed at “imperialist and selfish ends,” including access to natural resources such as oil.
Drawing parallels with Venezuela, the EFF alleged that Washington uses counter-terrorism and anti-crime narratives to advance economic interests.
“Today in Nigeria, the USA is engaging in maximising oil extraction related interests under the guise of fighting terrorism,” the party said.
The EFF framed the airstrikes as a broader warning to the continent, accusing the Trump administration of being prepared to “impose its military and imperialist strength wherever it sees fit.”
“Africa is in grave danger,” the statement said, describing Trump as “blood thirsty” and “war mongering,” and linking U.S. actions in Nigeria to what it called Washington’s growing hostility toward South Africa over its stance on Palestine.
“It is of interest to all of us as Africans to not allow Nigeria to be the gateway for USA imperialism in Africa,” the party warned.
Concluding its statement, the EFF expressed solidarity with ordinary Nigerians and called on continental bodies to intervene.
“The EFF stands firmly with the people of Nigeria, not with imperial forces and not with compliant elites,” it said. “If Africa does not resist now, it will once again become a battlefield for foreign powers seeking relevance through destruction.”