flagrant disregard for international condemnation–exemplified in his decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accords–has already evoked comparisons with archetypal African leaders, including one by South African comic and Daily Show host Trevor Noah.
Trump is Willing to Sell Nigeria Weapons
Nigeria has been trying to buy attack helicopters from the U.S. since 2015 to expand its air capacity in the fight against Boko Haram. But under Obama, Washington demurred: The Nigerian military have a questionable human rights record and, when a sale looked imminent in early 2017, the country’s air force mistakenly bombed a refugee settlement in northeast Nigeria, killing more than 100 people.
President Buhari is one of the few African leaders to have spoken by phone with Trump. During the conversation in February, Trump “expressed support for the sale of aircraft from the United States to support Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram”. While there is no indication the sale has gone through yet, the change in tone would have been welcomed in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
