A top UN official says that the exodus of tens of thousands of Muslims from Central African Republic amounts to "ethno-religious cleansing".
Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees made the comments as he visited a displacement camp near the airport in the capital of Bangui.
"There is an ethno-religious cleansing that is taking place; that we must stop at all costs. There are indiscriminate killings and massacres here in some areas of the country."
He also calls for the international community to help the nation's interim government restore order.
His trip comes a day after the UN chief Ban Ki-moon says the international community must "act concertedly and now" to avoid any further atrocities.
More than 1 thousand Christians and Muslims have been killed since sectarian fighting erupted in early December and nearly one fourth of the population, or about 1 million, have fled their homes.
For months, UN and French officials have warned that a genocide could be looming in Central African Republic.
