Benin on Saturday said it hoped the arrival of the Central African Republic's embattled former president would help restore calm to the troubled nation, after he quit under pressure from regional leaders.

Michel Djotodia, who resigned with his prime minister Nicolas Tiangaye, touched down in Cotonou at 5:05 pm local time (1605 GMT) on a flight from the Chadian capital, N'Djamena.

Deadly violence including reports of cannibalism and widespread looting gripped the capital of the Central African Republic on Saturday after the resignation of its ex-rebel president and with stranded foreigners waiting to be airlifted out of the country.

Sporadic gunfire was heard overnight in Bangui with the shooting leaving three people dead -- a Christian vigilante, a former rebel and a civilian -- the head of the Central African Red Cross, pastor Antoine Mbaobogo, told Agence France Presse.

The United States Friday called for the Central African Republic to ensure the country's new leadership works to restore peace and end a wave of sectarian violence.

Speaking after President Michel Djotodia resigned, a State Department official said there should now be "a transparent, inclusive process" to select a new president.

European Union nations broadly agreed Friday on a plan to launch a joint military operation in Central Africa to help restore security there amid fears of civilian massacres, EU diplomats told Agence France Presse.

Ambassadors from the 28 member states gave preliminary approval to plans for the rapid deployment of hundreds of troops to help African and French peacekeepers already on the ground restore "a safe and secure environment" in the Central African Republic.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called on the African Union to speedily provide promised troops to halt the worsening crisis in Central African Republic.

Ban said the resignation of transitional president Michel Djotodia and his prime minister meant speedy action was needed to restore order.

Thousands of residents in the Central African Republic's capital Bangui gathered in the streets Friday in a show of joy at the resignation of interim president Michel Djotodia.

Agence France Presse reporters in the city saw crowds in the main avenues and squares singing and yelling happily "It's over! It's over!".

Central African Republic President Michel Djotodia has resigned under intense pressure over his failure to stem the sectarian unrest ripping his country apart, a regional grouping announced Friday.

African leaders meeting in neighboring Chad to seek a solution to the crisis said they had "noted the resignation" of Djotodia and Prime Minister Nicolas Tiengaye, whose notoriously fractious relationship with the president had led to political paralysis.

All deputies in the Central African Republic's transitional parliament are to be flown to Chad, where African leaders are holding a special regional summit aiming to restore peace to the restive country, an official said Thursday.

A Chadian plane taking all 135 lawmakers from the Central African capital of Bangui was expected to arrive in the Chadian capital N'Djamena late Thursday, the official said.

A summit of African leaders to discuss the president of the Central African Republic's future is not aiming at "regime change", the secretary-general of the body convening the talks said Wednesday.

"The summit was called because of a deterioration in the security situation," Allami Ahmat, secretary general of the 10-member Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) told Agence France Presse.

Strife-torn Central African Republic is heading for a humanitarian disaster, a Unicef official warned Wednesday, calling for urgent action to prevent deadly diseases from spreading in overcrowded refugee camps.

"All the elements are present for a potentially deadly outbreak of disease -- severely overcrowded camps, low immunity and extremely poor water and sanitation infrastructure," said Souleymane Diabate, Unicef's representative in the CAR.