Troops from several EU countries will begin deploying in the strife-torn Central African Republic next month, a French official said yesterday.

Assailants armed with heavy weapons attacked the presidential palace and the residence of the Central African Republic’s embattled leader, but were pushed back.

French troops have begun military operations in the Central African Republic, trying to quell violence in the capital a day after armed Christian fighters raided Muslim neighbourhoods, leaving nearly 100 people dead.