CNN reports that “American military aircraft will fly African and European peacekeepers to the Central African Republic, which is in the midst of a bloody internal conflict between various proclaimed Christian and Muslim militias and other rebel factions.

“The decision announced the Pentagon was followed by a statement from President Barack Obama, who called on the country’s citizens to reject violence and urged the transitional government to join ‘respected leaders’ in Muslim and Christian communities in calling for ‘calm and peace.'”