Bossangoa , Central African Republic ( CNN ) -- Months after a coup escalated chaos and violence in the Central African Republic , a French military operation has begun in the capital , Bangui , France 's defense minister said Friday . The French deployment , along with that of African forces , was unanimously approved Thursday by the U.N. Security Council . The council also voted to impose an arms embargo on the Central African Republic , which is east of Cameroon and north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The Security Council resolution , put forward by France , authorizes an African Union-led peacekeeping force to intervene with the support of French forces to protect civilians , restore humanitarian access and stabilize the country . The start of the French soldiers ' new operation in Bangui was announced Friday morning by Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on the French radio station RFI . The French troops currently in the country were deployed to protect French nationals and help secure the airport that serves the capital . But now they are carrying out patrols in Bangui , Le Drian said . `` The operation has begun , '' he said . France has pledged to send in hundreds more soldiers . An African Union force is already in the nation , but rights group say it 's not enough to halt the escalating violence . UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said Friday that the British military will help fly French military equipment to the Central African Republic . The first of three flights planned this month is due to arrive `` shortly , '' he said in a statement . Deepening violence . Hours before the U.N. meeting Thursday , heavy gunfire erupted near the presidential palace in Bangui , witnesses said . After two days of clashes in the capital , the number of corpses delivered to a hospital morgue in the city rose Friday afternoon to 92 , according to Doctors without Borders . The agency , also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres , told CNN that 170 people had been treated for injuries . Scores were badly hurt -- most with gunshot , machete or knife wounds . A few shots were fired around dawn , but the situation in the capital is now relatively calm , spokesman Samuel Henryon said . Bangui airport was closed for a second day Friday amid the continuing tensions . Violence has raged in the country since a coalition of rebels deposed President Francois Bozize in March , the latest in a series of coups since the nation gained independence . Bozize fled the country after his ouster . Christian vigilante groups have formed to battle Seleka , the predominantly Muslim coalition behind the president 's removal . Multiple sources told CNN that the military commander of Seleka , Gen. Issa Yahya , was killed Thursday in Bangui . His second-in-command , Col. Saleh Zabari , is now thought to be in charge . Christians , Muslims take refuge . Left uncontrolled , militia groups are uniting along religious lines , leading to fears of sectarian violence . The situation in Bossangoa , a town about 185 miles north of Bangui that is at the epicenter of displacement resulting from the violence , remained very tense Friday . About 35,000 Christians have taken refuge in a Catholic church compound there . Members of Seleka have launched grenades at the compound to try to flush out elements of a rival Christian militia , the anti-Balaka . Meanwhile , the anti-Balaka are threatening the town 's Muslim neighborhood . The anti-Balaka began targeting Muslims after tens of thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes as Seleka militias marauded through the countryside , in a spiraling cycle of reprisal attacks . The headquarters of the small regional peacekeeping mission told CNN on Thursday that the second-in-command of Seleka had given the militia permission to attack the compound . The mission sent reinforcements in defensive positions around the church to protect civilians . Speaking to CNN before reports of the death of Seleka 's commander emerged , Zabari said that it was believed there were armed elements in the compound but that unless those inside moved against them , they would n't attack it . A CNN team in the vicinity was forced to flee a U.N. compound in Bossangoa for one protected by the African-led force after the U.N. site came under fire . More than 100,000 more people are believed to be hiding in the bush around Bossangoa , fearing for their safety . Central African Republic : What 's going on , what 's at stake , what 's next . Hundreds of thousands displaced . Speaking after the U.N. vote , U.S . Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power said the U.S. government was `` deeply disturbed '' by ongoing reports of brutality in the nation . `` It is clear that urgent action is needed to save lives , '' she said , adding that the crisis has affected nearly half the country 's population . Power said the sectarian tension that has made the tens of thousands of Christians seek refuge in the church compound in Bossangoa , while their Muslim neighbors shelter in a mosque nearby , was a tragic result of the coup . `` Extremists on both sides , in an environment of lawlessness and an environment of state failure , have taken advantage of that vacuum and stoked animosities , '' she said . A representative of the Central African Republic told the Security Council the vote would `` give reasons to hope for a new dawn '' for the country 's embattled population . An unknown number of people have been killed in remote rural areas too risky to access . United Nations officials have warned that the violence between the Christian majority and Muslim minority now in power could lead to genocide . More than 400,000 people -- nearly 10 % of the population -- have been internally displaced , according to the United Nations . `` They are hiding in the bush without shelter , food , or drinking water , exposed to the weather and mosquitoes that carry malaria , the leading cause of death in the country , '' Doctors Without Borders said in a statement . The group has operated in the country for years and is helping dispatch mobile units to take care of the wounded . Opinion : Why Central African Republic is slipping close to catastrophe . CNN 's Nima Elbagir reported from Bossangoa , Faith Karimi wrote and reported from Atlanta , and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported from London . CNN 's Lillian Leposo , Nana Karikari-apau and Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report .
NEW : Number killed in Bangui is at least 92 , with 170 injured , aid group says . `` The operation has begun , '' France 's defense minister says . U.N. Security Council backs resolution authorizing African and French intervention . TL;DR NEW