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| France takes 'immediate' military action amid CAR clashes | France takes 'immediate' military action amid CAR clashes |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A French-led military operation to protect civilians in the Central African Republic is being launched "immediately", after scores died in fresh sectarian fighting on Thursday. | A French-led military operation to protect civilians in the Central African Republic is being launched "immediately", after scores died in fresh sectarian fighting on Thursday. |
| A contingent of 650 troops there will be "doubled within a few days, if not a few hours," President Hollande said. | |
| Earlier the UN Security Council voted to allow French troops to join an African peacekeeping force in the CAR. | |
| Violence there has raised fears of mass killings along sectarian lines. | Violence there has raised fears of mass killings along sectarian lines. |
| "I have decided to act immediately, in other words, this evening," Francois Hollande said. | "I have decided to act immediately, in other words, this evening," Francois Hollande said. |
| Mr Hollande said the French role would be different to the one mounted in Mali, where French troops hunted down Islamist militants in the desert. | |
| This time they will be the "gendarme" - the thin blue line between order and chaos, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris. | |
| The French troops are highly trained but 1,200 in a country the size of the CAR can only be a stop-gap, our correspondent says. | |
| Curfew | Curfew |
| The capital, Bangui, was attacked on Thursday, reportedly by militias loyal to Francois Bozize, who was ousted as president by rebels in March, plunging the country into chaos. | |
| One hundred people were confirmed killed, Amy Martin from the UN in Bangui told the BBC. | One hundred people were confirmed killed, Amy Martin from the UN in Bangui told the BBC. |
| A government curfew came into effect at 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT) but sporadic gunfire could still be heard, Ms Martin said. | |
| The BBC's Andrew Harding, in Bangui, reported seeing many people lying wounded in the halls of a hospital. | The BBC's Andrew Harding, in Bangui, reported seeing many people lying wounded in the halls of a hospital. |
| Our correspondent says violence in the CAR is increasingly pitting Christians against Muslims. | |
| The UN special representative in the country, Babacar Gaye, told the BBC there was a danger of mass killings in Bangui if nothing was done to stop the violence. | |
| An existing peacekeeping force about 2,500 strong, the International Support Mission in Central Africa (Misca), is already in place. | |
| It is now working under a 12-month UN mandate and will rise to some 3,600 African soldiers, in addition to the 1,200-strong French force. | |
| The UK military says it is discussing "limited logistical support" for the French mission but will not send combat troops. | |
| 'Balaka' | |
| Michel Djotodia, who ousted Mr Bozize, installed himself as the first Muslim leader in the Christian-majority country. | |
| The mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition which brought him to power has been accused of atrocities against Christians. | |
| Christian communities have now set up "anti-balaka" self-defence forces, most of them loyal to Mr Bozize. | |
| "Balaka" means machete in the local Sango and Mandja languages. | |
| The Selekas have been officially disbanded and some of them integrated into the army, but correspondents say it is often not clear who is in charge, even in the capital. |