South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned United States airstrikes carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day, describing them as an act of military imperialism and a serious violation of African sovereignty.
In a statement issued on Friday, the party criticised the US government for launching airstrikes in northwest Nigeria, reportedly in Sokoto State, which US President Donald Trump publicly described as “powerful and deadly” attacks against alleged Islamic State (ISIL) targets.
The EFF said the strikes showed a reckless disregard for African sovereignty and represented a dangerous escalation of American militarism on the continent.
The party also faulted President Trump’s comments on the operation, accusing him of using inflammatory and religiously charged language to justify military intervention. According to the EFF, Trump portrayed the United States as a self-appointed saviour by claiming Christians were being viciously killed in northern Nigeria.
It argued that the violence in northern Nigeria is complex, driven by poverty, banditry, insurgency and weak state institutions, and affects Christians, Muslims and traditional communities alike.
The EFF accused the US of simplifying the crisis into a religious narrative to manufacture moral justification for military action, turning Nigerian suffering into propaganda for imperial violence.
The party further criticised the repeated use of the “ISIL-linked” label, warning that such branding has historically been used to legitimise US military interventions across Africa and the Middle East, often without accountability.
The EFF also took aim at Nigeria’s response, describing praise for US–Nigeria security cooperation by the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a sign of capitulation.
According to the party, such responses signal that African governments can be pressured into legitimising foreign military action on their own soil.
The group warned Nigeria against allowing US military operations within its borders, arguing that American interventions are never mutually beneficial and are often driven by imperial and economic interests, including access to natural resources such as oil.
Drawing parallels with Venezuela, the EFF claimed the US frequently uses counter-terrorism narratives to advance economic agendas, alleging that similar motives are now being pursued in Nigeria.
The party warned that the airstrikes should concern the entire continent, accusing the Trump administration of being prepared to impose its military power wherever it sees fit.
It cautioned African nations against allowing Nigeria to become a gateway for US imperialism on the continent.
The EFF expressed solidarity with the Nigerian people and called on African leaders and continental institutions to resist foreign military domination, warning that failure to do so would once again turn Africa into a battlefield for external powers.
