French troops pour into Central Africa French soldiers patrol in Bangui in the Central African Republic. Bangui, Central African Republic: French troops have received a triumphant welcome as they arrive in the strife-torn Central African Republic, while the African Union says it will nearly double its force in a bid to stamp out deadly sectarian violence. Cheering residents honked horns, danced and banged on saucepans as some 200 French troops rolled into the mainly Christian town of Bouar in the west of the country. Weary of months of violence from a rebellion that overthrew the government in March, provoking bloody sectarian clashes between Muslim and Christian communities, the residents yelled "Thank you!" and "Save us!" The violence, which has terrorised rural towns for months, flared in the capital Bangui on Thursday, leaving at least 300 dead in a wave of attacks, the Red Cross said. Describing the bloodshed as "terrifying," French President Francois Hollande announced he would send 400 more troops than previously envisaged, boosting a UN-mandated force to 1600 troops. He said this number would not increase and most troops would not stay more than six months. French soldiers patrol a street of Bangui, Central African Republic. The French presidency also announced the African Union would boost the regional MISCA force to 6000 troops from a planned 3600. Mr Hollande said the job of the French and African troops would be "to disarm militias who are acting like gangsters, raping women and even killing people in hospitals." "I believe we can quickly put a stop to the current atrocities and massacres," Mr Hollande said, adding the long-term goal was to "re-establish stability and, when the time is right, organise free and democratic elections." Reports have described a litany of horrors, with security forces and militia gangs razing villages, carrying out public execution-style killings and perpetrating widespread rapes. At the weekend, overwhelmed Red Cross staff continued to pick up dead and mutilated bodies - mostly clubbed or hacked to death - from the streets of the capital. Doctors Without Borders said it had treated 190 people in the past two days for injuries such as bullet, machete or knife wounds at the over-crowded local hospital. In a sign of the anarchy gripping the nation, the Bangui prosecutor announced a "war arsenal" including AK47's, ammunition and bags of combat gear had been found at the home of Interior and Security Minister Josue Binoua, an ally of former president Francois Bozize. A UN resolution gives the French-backed African force a 12-month mandate and the right to use "all necessary measures" to restore order. UN leader Ban Ki-moon has warned that up to 9000 troops could be needed to quell violence that has spread through the country of 4.6 million, of whom 80 per cent are Christian. In an interview with French radio, Mr Ban said that the UN would "sooner or later" have to have a permanent peacekeeping presence in the country.