UN chief raises possibility of additional troops for violence-torn Central African Republic

UNITED NATIONS – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has raised the possibility of getting additional troops into the Central African Republic, which is engulfed in sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians.

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Ban discussed "the deeply troubling situation" in the impoverished, lawless country with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Monday night.

Ban asked Fabius what could be done to increase support for African peacekeepers and to accelerate the deployment of European Union troops, "and whether additional troops might be envisaged," Nesirky said.

The secretary-general reiterated the international community's "collective responsibility" to the people of the Central African Republic and stressed "that the international response must be robust enough to stop the violence and prevent what has a high potential to result in additional widespread atrocities," Nesirky said.