US-Nigeria Christmas Skirmishes: An Extension of US Monopoly in Africa

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By Cde. Darius David Sumo

Whether via the radio or television, when we tune into international wires—be it the BBC, VOA, Al Jazeera, or CNN—we are often bombarded with shocking headlines and phrases like “National Security,” “Thousands of People Killed...”, “Starvation in the Middle East...”, “A Country Has Launched an Attack...”, and “A New Virus Has Been Discovered...” “People are conflicted with wretched conditions…” “Terror,” “poverty…” and “Islamic groups attacking…” etc. We get overwhelmed by these media headlines, leaving us perplexed. However, it's worth noting that since the 18th and 19th centuries, erudite thinkers like Karl Marx and Engels have hinted to us about these issues of world concern and their underlying factors.

The 1917 Russian Bolshevik revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin, further exacerbated the debate and gave a clear pictorial and construal, so we can't be astonished or shocked when these incidents arise. They vividly signal the shackles of imperialism are still present, continuing to entangle and ravage nations and continents of the world at large, of which Africa is not an exception. In one of his genius works published in 1916—“Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism”—Lenin catalogued five different features of this nightmare. To avoid procrastination, let me hint to you about them in my understanding: he argued about the creation of decisive monopolies through the concentration of production and capital; the export of capital and commodities, with capital being the more fundamental of the two; the formation of global capitalist monopolies that share the world amongst themselves; and the territorial division of the world amongst the most powerful capitalist powers. Lastly, the merger of bank capital and industrial capital to create an oligarchy of financial capital.

From all indications, it’s crystal clear we're in a multipolar world, where there are rising powers, excluding the US, which has dominated the world for decades. As a result, the struggle for political dominance and influence is likely to escalate. Moreover, with a capitalist-dominated world, powerful nations and multilateral institutions have already started tightening their claws on the pursuit of unrestrained profits. This dynamic has obliged imperialism into a critical juncture: it must either expand rapidly to benefit a few breeds of elites in the world or face a massive decline in its relentless quest for robust profit accumulation. Because those few elites and rising powers aim at maintaining some sort of dominance, aid has increased; the military bases of these countries are stipulated on diverse high seas and continents; the development of atomic bombs, high-tech weapons of mass destruction, etc.

US Christmas Day Strikes

During the late evening hours of Christmas Day, precisely on December 25, 2025, breaking news from Washington shocked the world. US President Donald Trump announced to the world about the US Department of War air strike made in the Nigerian region of Sokoto through the approval of the Federal Government. I saw many Africans, especially those supposedly of the Christian faith, celebrating these massive, unknown, and destructive strikes. Before the surprised strikes, the US president had earlier announced to the world about the killing of Christians in Nigeria by folks believed to be members of ISIS, an Islamic terrorist group. So I inferred because Christians had been allegedly killed in the Northern region, that was the ultimate reason our African brothers and sisters were celebrating and hailing the US for the strikes.

But on the contrary of hailing Donald Trump or the US Department of War, have you considered the underlying motives behind this military strike? Before delving

further, I want us to establish the reality that Nigeria is not the only nation grappling with said situations. All around the globe, especially Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, etc., have all faced similar humiliation or persecution. More to this, this wretched act extends beyond one particular group; Christians, African traditionalists, Muslims, ethnic groups, etc., alike are all victims. Given this broader context, I would like for you to ponder on this: why has the U.S. chosen to designate Nigeria specifically? To grasp our questions, I want you to go back to the text's genesis and its core—the struggle for political dominance.

A Gist of the Question—Why the US Department of War Strike Nigeria:

Like we previously postulated, the world has metamorphosed from both unipolar and bipolar to multipolar, giving rise to the interactions, integration, and interdependence of global economies and governments—globalization. Rising world powers are building stronger alliances with African countries; the tremendous rise of BRICS. All of these pose serious threats to the West. For instance, the recent Russian-African Summit and the most recent China-Africa Summit (FOCAC), which was held in Beijing from September 4 to 6, 2024, focused on advancing mutual modernization and building a high-level China-Africa partnership with a shared future, resulting in new cooperation plans, infrastructure commitments, and discussions on trade, security, and development. To the extent China was able to reduce its interest rate on loans and grants to African states and also give 50 billion to Africa, this put the West on its heel to strengthen its exploitative alliance with African nations too.

The reason or reasons: other than the mere rhetoric and Western propaganda of targeting a specific group, there are ulterior motives for the US Christmas Day Strike in Nigeria. As I labeled these reasons, I want you to go through them with an objective school of thought, a Pan-African thought, and an anti-imperialist perspective. Engaging in this analysis from those mentioned points of view could shed light on whether this focus on Nigeria is a genuine attempt to address human suffering or part of a larger agenda.

First, the main place in which the strikes were done is Sokoto State. This state is located in the Northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria and is bounded by the Republic of Niger, one of the AEC states that broke ties with the West. With the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from ECOWAS—a regional body primarily fostering Western interests in West Africa—a significant shift in the power dynamic in the region has occurred. The formation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and the rapid, forceful removal of Western influence from these three countries have resulted in the West losing control over AES states and their resources. To regain its influence and political dominance in this region, the West needs proximity to the Sahel Security Belt—the security belt here is often discussed as a counterterrorism monitoring and regional stabilization zone. Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and Mali all border this security belt. Moreover, the West is on a desperate ploy to get rid of the leaders of the AES, like what the US did earlier today to Nicolás Maduro Moros in Venezuela to regain its dominance in the region.

Also, the Sokoto Basin in northwestern Nigeria has significant petroleum potential prospects. Even though it’s not richer than the Delta region that is currently undergoing large-scale exploitation, geoscientific studies have confirmed promising source rocks and reservoirs, suggesting substantial extractable hydrocarbons (oil and gas) if maturity and trapping conditions are met in deeper sections. With this prospect, the West had to smartly strike an agreement with Nigeria's puppet president and head of ECOWAS, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, so that in the coming days, it could send troops to the Northern Region with the widely held notion of protecting Christians from attack, while secretly exploiting the resources there and keeping surveillance on the ACE States.

Think of it: has the West done anything free for Africa without an interest? When was the last time the West gave funds to Africa without something under its sleeve? It is imperative to mention that there's no genuine commitment, especially from the West; they're basically moving by extending their exploitative monopoly through economic, social, and political means.

Conclusion

US Nigeria’s Christmas Day Strike is far beyond the US quest of humanity for Christians. It's an extension of the US monopoly in Africa. The West African nation of Nigeria stands out as Africa’s most populous nation. With this, the nation plays a very cardinal role in the power dynamics of Africa and has far-reaching implications for global politics. Now, with its gigantic population exceeding 200 million, its demographic significance cannot be underrated. If the US takes a grapple of influence or gains power in Nigeria, it would strategically position the US military not just within Africa but on a global scale, enhancing its geopolitical clout. The shackles of imperialism is in Africa. The United States is utilizing it through military, social, and economic means to entrap Africa and its people. Their Christmas Day Strike operation shows no kindness bestowed, no glimmer of light to the people of Africa, so we should never hail Trump! He doesn't mean well for the continent of Africa. Meanwhile, we should lash out at corrupt politicians who are conspiring with the West to keep our regions unstable while exploiting our resources for personal gain.

Cde. Darius David Sumo is a Liberian student radical, educator and an emerging writer. He is currently studying English Literature and Media & Communication at the University of Liberia. Cde. Sumo can be contacted via WhatsApp at +231777490692 or email: dariussumo@gmail.com