The Central African Republic (CAR) has collapsed into “a state of anarchy” and the UN Security Council must impose sanctions and mandate a neutral security force to restore order, a UN envoy has said.

Margaret Vogt, UN representative to the Central African Republic, painted a grim picture of the situation since rebels ousted President Francois Bozize on March 24.

The country has “collapsed into a state of anarchy,” Vogt told the Security Council on Wednesday.

There are “indiscriminate and often targeted killings, rampant rapes and assaults on the innocent population, flagrant recruitment of children as soldiers, looting of homes, not just of the rich but even of already struggling citizens,” she added.

“We believe that the time is right for the council to consider the imposition of individual sanctions against the architects and perpetrators of these gross violations.

“There is an urgent need to help restore stability in the CAR.

“This should be done by deploying a neutral security force that would contain the current state of anarchy.”

Read more at aljazeera.com