The Central African Republic is engulfed in religious war.

Almost 1 million people have fled from car in the past 10 months, according to the UN Refugee Agency. For a country of about 4.6 million, that’s about a fifth of the population fleeing a nation as vast as France.

The past week has been marred with particularly pervasive and gory sectarian violence. On February 5, just moments after a military ceremony in which interim President Catherine Samba-Panza promised to rebuild the army and restore peace, car soldiers lynched a man accused of being an ex-Muslim rebel—in broad daylight. The man was kicked, stabbed, pelted with concrete blocks, dismembered and set ablaze. Associated Press photographer Jerome Delay witnessed the atrocity and made this sobering conclusion: “We have reached the point of no return in sectarian violence.”

On January 29, the director of emergencies for Human Rights Watch, Peter Bouckaert, witnessed an “absolutely horrific scene” near the airport at the capital Bangui: A mob of Christian militia hacked at the slain bodies of two Muslim men with machetes. A throng of spectators, including children, gathered around to jeer and film this monstrosity on cell phones.

“[T]he Muslim community is [being] attacked,” observed Bouckaert. “[E]ntire Muslim communities are just being wiped off the map.” In this particular instance at the Bangui airport, French peacekeepers were also present, but ironically did nothing to stop the mayhem and restore peace. They have been accused of being too sympathetic to car Christians. (Incidentally, Chad’s contingent of African Union peacekeepers are being accused of being sympathetic to Muslim rebels.)

In a prior act of violence against car Muslims, a Christian mob spotted a Muslim-looking man in a minibus. The mob followed the bus, dragged the man out, and butchered him. The mob leader, “Mad Dog” as he called himself, then burned the victim and cannibalized him in full public view.

Most of these Christians practice a bizarre mix of Christianity and witchcraft. They are often embellished with ritualistic amulets and talismans that supposedly make them invincible and fearless. “We are bulletproof,” one of them bragged to bbc.

Over the past week, at least 75 people have been slaughtered, according to a local priest.

These incidents are retribution attacks on the Muslim community that has oppressed Christians in the Central African Republic over the past 10 months.

Since its attainment of independence from France in 1960, the Central African Republic has experienced almost half a century of unstable governments, coup d’états and dictatorships. After car’s fifth “successful” coup in March 2013 by the Seleka—an alliance of Islamist militia—Michel Djotodia took over the presidency, becoming the first Muslim leader in the predominantly Christian country.

The Seleka unleashed relatively mild violence against the nation’s civilians—until September last year. Djotodia disbanded the Seleka, and the violence worsened. Ex-Seleka militants dispersed into the countryside and began a spree of looting, rape and mass executions.

As bad as these atrocities were, car’s Christians began fighting back with similar, if not worse, bloodlust. They formed a retribution group called “anti-balaka,” meaning anti-machete. The persecuted became the persecutors.

As a consequence of this catastrophe, nearly 1 million people in the Central African Republic have been internally displaced. Seventy percent of car’s children no longer go to school, making them susceptible military recruits. About half of the population (2.2 million) face starvation. The country is one of the poorest in the world, yet it’s rich in diamonds, gold, uranium, crude oil, lumber and arable land.

On January 10, Michel Djotodia (Catherine Samba-Panza’s predecessor) resigned following pressure from the international community. That same day, bbc filmed a crowd of exuberant Christians singing, “Today, we’re going to kill Muslims.” Evidently, these were not just empty words.

A full-fledged religious war is underway in the heart of Africa: Christians are killing Muslims, and Muslims are killing Christians.

It is to this environment that the EU recently deployed soldiers to try to keep peace. The UN has even flashed the green light for the EU to use force if need be. France is currently taking the lead in this Euro-army, but watch for rival Germany to increase its influence in the region. Our article, “Germany’s Africa Strategy,” explains German and French politicking that will culminate in a large-scale, German-led European intervention in North Africa and the Middle East. This conflict is prophesied in the Bible to be religious in nature.

What’s happening in Africa condemns a world that has supposedly advanced above medieval “holy” wars. It’s also an indication of how close we are to the prophesied European intervention in the region and the return of Christ to end war forever.

Watch the Central African Republic. This is its darkest hour before dawn. That dawn—the glorious reign of Jesus Christ—is imminent.