UN official: Central African Republic could face genocide

UNITED NATIONS — The director of U.N. humanitarian operations is warning that the bloodshed in the Central African Republic could turn into a genocide if the international community doesn't act to stop killings between Christians and Muslims.

John Ging told reporters in Geneva after visiting the conflict-wracked nation that "the stakes are extremely high."

"The crisis has all the elements that we have seen elsewhere in places like Rwanda and Bosnia," he said Thursday. "The seeds are there for a genocide, there is no doubt."

Ging said fear between Christians and Muslims "is palpable" because they have been incited by recent events, though "the people are a lot more civil than the situation conveys."

He urged the international community to help, and he urged donors to provide desperately needed humanitarian aid.