The United Nations’ refugee agency has said that approximately 210,000 people have been displaced in the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui, in the past two weeks as a result of sectarian violence.

Central Africans have been running away from the fighting between Muslims and Christians in the country, where France has around 1,600 troops, acting with the African Union-led forces on the ground.

Humanitarian organizations say that at least 500 people have been killed in Bangui in December in killing sprees on civilians by both sides.
We continue to hear of attacks against Christians by former Seleka [mostly Muslim disbanded militias].

UN refugee agency

"In Bangui, our staff are reporting continued shooting and a mood of widespread fear," a UNHCR spokesman said on Tuesday.
The agency also said that hundreds have risked their lives by fleeing the country by boat across a branch of the Congo River.

The UN World Food Program said on Tuesday that it was resuming food delivery to about 40,000 people near the Bangui airport after the security situation forced the work to stop over the weekend.

The agency also warned that up to a quarter of the mineral-rich nation's 5.2 million population risks going hungry.
The UN has been criticized for its response to the crisis, but Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said the international organization is scaling up its humanitarian response.

PHOTO CATION

Internally displaced children, who are escaping the violence, pose in Bangui, December 17, 2013.

Al-Jazeera