A wave of violence gripping the Central African Republic has killed at least 36 people and forced nearly 30,000 to flee their homes in a matter of days, the United Nations said Tuesday.

"We fear that the violence that we're seeing in Bangui is a return to the dark days of late 2013 and 2014, when thousands were killed and tens of thousands had to flee their homes," UN refugee agency spokesman Leo Dobbs told reporters.