Nigeria Postpones Elections, Citing Boko Haram Violence

Nigeria's election commission on Saturday postponed presidential and legislative elections for six weeks due to security concerns. The vote was scheduled to take place on Feb. 14, amid concerns that millions of voters would be disenfranchised by Boko Haram's brutal insurgency, as well as delays in distributing voter ID cards. Election commission chairman Attahiru Jega said Saturday that the vote would be rescheduled for March 28 because security agencies were unable to guarantee safe elections while they focus on battling Boko Haram militants. "We wish to call on all Nigerians to accept this in good faith to deepen democracy in our country Nigeria," he said. Earlier Saturday, civil rights groups opposed to postponing elections protested in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, the Associated Press reported. The vote comes at a critical moment for Nigeria. Boko Haram has stepped up its brutal campaign to establish an Islamic caliphate in the country's northeast. More than one million Nigerians have fled their homes amid the slaughter. The conflict has increasingly spilled over into neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, and this week the African Union pledged thousands of troops for a joint force to battle the Islamists.