Sustained pressure from President Donald Trump could prompt Nigeria to more directly confront extremist violence and better protect Christian communities, but the fight remains primarily Nigeria's responsibility, retired U.S. Navy Capt. Brent Sadler said on Newsmax Sunday.
"It's been a decades-long running insurrection and civil war of sorts in that part of Nigeria," Sadler said on Newsmax's "Sunday Report," describing a conflict he said also "spills over into neighboring countries."
Sadler said Nigeria's government should have confronted what he described as a long-standing tactic of targeting Christians and churches to inflame religious tensions for political ends.
He said pressure from Trump could help Nigeria counter groups such as Boko Haram, which he described as an Islamic extremist force in the region.
In discussing U.S. involvement, Sadler said the priority should be enabling a more effective Nigerian counterinsurgency while pressing Nigerian authorities to apply protections fairly and strengthen security for Christians in areas under siege.
"For far too long, there hasn't been a voice or a power really speaking up and protecting Christian minorities across the region," Sadler said.
He added that the United States can assist, but "this is a fight that Nigerians need to take, and the United States is helping them in that cause."
Sadler also weighed in on Venezuela, saying that Nicolas Maduro is trying to exploit political divisions in the United States and that intensifying pressure on illicit revenue streams could weaken the regime.
Maduro, Sadler said, is "trying to work the seams in our own political fractures here at home."
He said Maduro's supporters are under significant strain, particularly as trafficking networks face more disruption.
Sadler said cartel operations and the illicit oil trade are central to the regime's resilience, and that continued pressure on those channels could accelerate political change.
Asked about the prospect of regime change, Sadler said, "I think we're talking months," if pressure remains consistent.
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