Mr Tutu said it was crucial the international community didn't leave any intervention too long.

"Rwanda happened despite all the warnings that the international community was given, they kept holding back and today we are regretting that we did not, in fact, act expeditiously," he said.

"I hope in this case we are not going to wait until several more people have been killed.

"We are seeing a situation which is deteriorating rapidly, where people are being held to ransom, a country is being held to ransom and in many ways a continent and even a world is being held to ransom by one person who is thumbing his nose at the international community."