Hollande: French troops to disarm militias in CAR

French President Francois Hollande said Saturday the number of French troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) will top 1,600 in the coming few hours. The troops are basically mandated to disarm the CAR militias in the African country, Hollande said in a press conference following the Elysee Summit for Peace and Security in Africa. France is gradually beefing up its military mission in CAR in order to make it better able to back up the African taskforce there in the wake of recent violence, he pointed out. France had had a 600-strong force in CAR until last Thursday night when the figure grew to 1,200; the figure will further grow to 1,600 later tonight, the president pointed out. The troops will continue helping the African mission in imposing the rule of law and restoring order and security, they will remain in CAR as long as necessary, he added. Hollande noted that the French military intervention came under authorization from the UN Security Council and aims to prepare the ground for holding free multi-party elections. Last night French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian said the 1, 200-strong force started patrolling the streets of Bangui, capital city of CAR, in order to restore calm after the ouster of president Francois Bozize Yangouvonda.