France vows immediate action in Central African Republic after battle

 France said it would act immediately in Central African Republic after securing U.N. backing to halt sectarian violence that rocked the capital on Thursday and risked escalating into widespread civilian massacres.

A Reuters witness and an aid worker said at least 105 people were killed in fierce fighting in Bangui between mainly Muslim former rebels now in charge of the country and a mix of local Christian militia and fighters loyal to ousted president Francois Bozize. Many were civilians.

Mindful of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, when hundreds of thousands were killed as the world looked on, the United States and other Western powers have urged swift international action to prevent the anarchy in Central African Republic leading to atrocities against the civilian population.

Most of the fighting in Bangui had eased by midday and the streets were largely deserted, but the death toll mounted and there were reports of widespread abuses during the fighting.

"I have decided to act immediately, in other words, this evening," French President Francois Hollande told reporters, hours after a vote at the U.N. Security Council authorized French and African troops to use force to protect civilians.

An arms embargo was also imposed on the country and the Security Council asked the United Nations to prepare for a possible peacekeeping mission.

Some rights groups have called for a U.N. peacekeeping mission to be set up immediately but regional leaders want to see if a beefed-up African force supported by France can contain the violence.

Having previously intervened in CAR's conflicts, Paris initially sought to avoid this one. But the scale of the violence since the rebels swept south has forced France's hand.

"When Seleka entered, there were dead Christians. This time it could be worse ... We need the French. The French have to come quickly," Wilfred Koyamba, a Bangui resident told Reuters.

Another resident said he saw a group of about 40 heavily armed "anti-balaka" fighters in the Ngaragba neighborhood break open the prison doors there. One of the fighters told the resident: "Stay at home. Show us the houses of the Muslims."

Some Seleka gunmen had stripped off uniforms to blend into the population, witnesses said.

A French diplomat said on Thursday that 850 Burundian troops would be sent over the weekend to support the African mission.