The first European Union troops have arrived in the Central African Republic, as local police said fresh sectarian violence had killed at least 30 people, mostly civilians.
An initial contingent of 55 EU troops made their first patrols in the capital Bangui, their arrival coming a day before the UN's Security Council is expected to authorise deployment of some 12,000 peacekeepers in order to help end the violence.
The troops which arrived on Wednesday had the aim of "maintaining security and training local officers", French army spokesman Francois Guillermet told AFP.
At least 30 people, mostly civilians, were killed on Tuesday in the latest bloody clashes between mainly Christian militia and minority Muslim fighters in the central town of Dekoa, according to police.
A coup in March last year by the Muslim Seleka rebels plunged the Central African Republic into chaos.
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After seizing power, some of the rebels went rogue and embarked on a campaign of killing, raping and looting.
The abuses prompted members of the Christian majority to form vigilantes called "anti-balaka," or anti-machete in the local Sango language, unleashing a wave of brutal tit-for-tat killings in the former French colony.
Tuesday's violence pitted the two sides, with the "anti-balaka" attacking Seleka positions early in the morning in the town some 300km north of the capital Bangui, police said.
"Most of the victims were civilians who were hit by stray bullets," a police source said, adding that the fighting lasted more than four hours.
Some 8000 French and African peacekeepers have been struggling to stem the bloodshed, which the UN warns could become genocide.
The European Union said last week it would send around 800 troops - its first major ground operation in six years.
They are expected to be fully operational by the end of May.
