CAR conflict: Ex-president 'heads to exile' in Benin

Former Central African Republic interim President Michel Djotodia is heading to Benin, where it is thought he will go into exile.

Mr Djotodia resigned his post on Friday, at a summit aimed at ending the ongoing sectarian violence.

"I confirm that Mr Djotodia is arriving in Cotonou," Benin's foreign minister told Agence France Presse.

At least 1,000 people have been killed since violence broke out between Christian and Muslims in December.

Mr Djotodia's resignation, and that of his Prime Minister Nicolas Tiengaye, appear to have failed to quell the violence in the CAR's capital, Bangui.

Clashes between rival militias have continued since his departure. The Red Cross said at least three people were shot dead overnight in the capital, Bangui, despite a curfew.

Muslim homes and shops have reportedly been looted.

The French news agency AFP reports sporadic gunfire, with several people killed, and quotes some residents as saying they saw shocking incidents of cannibalism.

Spiralling into violence

Michel Djotodia, CAR's first Muslim leader, seized power last year.

But although he officially disbanded the Seleka rebels who enabled him to take the presidency, he has proved unable to keep them in check.

Their actions prompted Christians to form vigilante groups, sparking a deadly cycle of revenge attacks

Since he seized power, 20% of the population have fled fighting between Christian and Muslim militias.

The African Union now has some 4,000 peacekeepers in the country and France has deployed 1,600 troops to try to restore peace.

Following Mr Djotodia's resignation announcement, thousands of people took to the streets in Bangui, most of them Christians who were celebrating the news.

Muslims largely stayed at home, the BBC's Paul Wood reports from Bangui.

Many Christians now want to go back to the way things were with their Muslim neighbours, our correspondent says.

Meanwhile, the International Organisation for Migration has begun airlifting thousands of foreigners out of the country.

The first flight evacuated some 800 Chadians, according to AFP.

The UN has warned of an impending humanitarian disaster in the country.

source-bbc