FRENCH troops have killed several armed fighters in Central
African Republic as Paris on Friday rolled out a United Nations-backed
operation to restore security after a bloodbath that left dozens of bodies
strewn across the capital.
The French army said its soldiers killed the armed men on
Thursday in a dawn clash near the airport in the capital, Bangui.
"An armed pick-up opened fire three times in the
direction of civilians and French troops. After the third time, we retaliated
and destroyed the vehicle," a spokesman for the French general staff said.
On Friday, warplanes overflew Bangui, a day after at least
140 civilians were killed in the capital – many clubbed or hacked to death in
violence that erupted amid international warnings that the country risked
sectarian massacres.
The country has descended into chaos since a motley coalition
of rebel fighters known as Seleka overthrew the government in March and
installed their own chief, Michel Djotodia, as president – the first Muslim leader of the majority
Christian country.
It was the latest in a string of rebellions and coups in the
impoverished, strife-torn country, where life expectancy is 49 years and the
average income is less than $2 a day.
Reports from UN staff on the ground indicate the situation
remains "very tense" in Bangui, with ongoing sectarian violence, said
Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
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