The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has dismissed claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that a genocide is taking place in northern Nigeria, calling the allegations “misleading and unfounded.”

Speaking to reporters at the United Nations, Youssouf said the situation in Nigeria “has nothing to do with the kind of atrocities we see in Sudan or in parts of eastern Congo,” urging the U.S. president to “think twice before making such statements.”

“The first victims of Boko Haram are Muslims, not Christians,” he added, emphasizing that the insurgency in northern Nigeria is driven by terrorism, not religion.

Trump had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of allowing “very large numbers” of Christians to be killed and threatened to halt U.S. aid or take military action “guns-a-blazing” if the situation persisted.

The AU chief stressed that such rhetoric could inflame tensions and undermine efforts to stabilize the region.