Fighting continues as CAR president resigns

Gunfire has been reported on the streets of Bangui in the Central African Republic's capital after the news that interim President Michel Djotodia, facing international pressure, had agreed to resign after failing to halt inter-religious violence.

The resignations of Djotodia and Nicolas Tiangaye, the prime minister, were announced on Friday in a statement issued at a two-day summit of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) in neighbouring Chad.

Talks to decide on new leadership will take place in CAR, it said.

Under an agreement brokered by the CEEAC last year, CAR's transitional assembly (CNT) elected Djotodia to his position as interim president in April to take the former French colony to elections, due at the end of this year.

As news from the summit reached Bangui, thousands of residents took to the streets, dancing, singing and honking horns in celebration.

Cheers erupted at a camp for 100,000 displaced Christian civilians at the city's French-controlled airport.

There were no signs of the pro-Djotodia fighters who once dominated Bangui, Reuters news agency reported.

Djotodia, CAR's first Muslim leader, seized power last year. Since then 20% of the population have been forced to flee the violence.

At least 1,000 people have died since the clashes broke out in December.

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

The UN earlier warned an impending humanitarian disaster.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it would start airlifting 800 Chadians from a makeshift camp in the capital, Bangui.

Some 33,000 Africans from neighbouring countries needed urgent help, it said.