REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW YORK -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that massive ethno- religious cleansing are continuing in the Central African Republic (CAR), after he wrapped up a visit there and witnessed "a humanitarian catastrophe of unspeakable proportions."

"There have been indiscriminate killings and massacres. Shocking barbarity, brutality and inhumanity have characterized this violence," Guterres said in a press release, adding that "I am deeply distressed that nearly half a million Central Africans have been newly displaced since December alone. In all, 2.5 millions are in desperate need."

The crisis in the CAR, which began when the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels launched attacks a year ago, has since taken on increasingly sectarian overtones. After the resignation of the transitional government, the CAR installed a caretaker government last month in a bid to pull the turmoil-torn country out of crisis and organize general elections by February 2015.

However, Guterres said that "even with a new president and the formation of a government, it still cannot effectively protect its citizens."

"The international community must come together for a significant and immediate increase of the forces and police on the ground," Guterres said.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters on Tuesday that "the de facto partition of the CAR is a distinct risk." Ban said he has called on the European Union to accelerate the deployment of military operation and asked France to consider deploying additional troops.

Last December, the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of French and African troops to restore order in Bangui. On Jan. 28, the council adopted a resolution to back an EU operation to end the unrest in the war-torn country.

On Wednesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) began to airlift food into the CAR. In total, 1,800 tons of cereals, which is enough to feed 150,000 people for a month, are expected to arrive by air on about 25 flights over the next four weeks, UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky said.

The WFP said that food is urgently needed to be pre-positioned across the country before the start of the rainy season in May, when many roads will be impassable.

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