Stephen O'Brien, the U.N. Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, said on Aug. 7 that the situation in the Central African Republic had deteriorated to the point that "the early warning signs of genocide" were there. It is the first time that the United Nations has used the "g" word to describe the violence in the country. O'Brien then called for a bolstering of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which currently comprises around 12,500 peacekeepers. He also noted that in Bangassou, in the country's south, some 2,000 Muslim Central Africans that had taken refuge at a church more than three months ago are currently surrounded by Christian militants wanting to massacre them. Bangassou has been the site of recent instability, and at least 3 U.N. peacekeepers had been killed there as of the end of July....
