Nigeria Election is the Cause of more Boko Haram attacks, says U.S. State dept.

Nigeria's election next month is a factor behind the sharp increase in attacks by Boko Haram Islamist militants in the north of the country, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.

Spokeswoman Marie Harf said, however, that the Feb. 14 presidential election should go forward despite the violence, which the United Nations and human rights groups say has forced about 20,000 Nigerians to flee to neighboring countries in recent weeks.


"There has been a sharp escalation in the number of reported casualties," Harf told a daily briefing. "We do believe the election is a factor." The election is expected to be a close contest between President Goodluck Jonathan and his leading challenger Muhammadu Buhari.

"Boko Haram has tended to, particularly around something like an election, use political issues or sensitivities to try to enflame tensions," she said. "We have seen that as one of their tactics and that is why it is so important to move forward with the election, because we believe it's important."


Amnesty International  claims of  Boko Haram may have killed some 2,000 people around Jan. 3 in Baga in northern Nigeria. Harf said it was hard to independently verify that figure.



Credit: CSmonitor: Report Lesley Wroughto