Residents Fleeing to French-Controlled Bangui Airport in Central African Republic as Violence Continues

French-led "limited" intervention underway

Hundreds of people crowded into a field Friday outside Central African Republic's main airport, hoping that French soldiers would protect them after a spasm of bloodshed in the lawless capital left more than 100 people dead.

With the capital of Bangui hovering at the edge of anarchy, French military reinforcements – including fighter jets, helicopters, parachutists and armoured vehicles – rumbled their way into one of the world's poorest countries.