PARIS, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A French human rights group said Thursday a U.N. resolution for the Central African Republic fell short of what's needed to prevent an escalation of violence in the country.
The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Thursday authorizing the deployment of French forces to help quell the violence some Western leaders have said is approaching genocide.
Karim Lahidji, president of International Federation for Human Rights, known by its French initials FIDH, said the resolution didn't call for a U.N. peacekeeping mission in CAR, something he said was vital to restore order to the country.
"The United Nations must ... begin preparations as soon as possible to create a U.N. peacekeeping mission that will be able to address the long-term issues of political transition and justice for human rights violations," he said in a statement.
French television channel France 24 reported at least 120 people were killed in CAR's capital Bangui amid fighting between rival Muslim and Christian militias.
The rebel Seleka coalition, a Muslim group, topped the CAR government in March. Officially disbanded, armed Christian groups have started retaliating against ex-Seleka fighters, members of the U.S. government were told last month.
"The security situation in the CAR is deteriorating every day, with civilians facing increasing attacks by armed groups and no functioning national security forces to protect them," Lahidji said.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Wednesday the U.S. government was "appalled" by the escalating violence in CAR.
