Central African Republic President Catherine Samba-Panza has urged France to keep its soldiers in the country, days before Paris is to vote on French military presence there.

During an interview on Friday, the CAR president told French authorities that “this is not the moment to abandon the Central African Republic.”

“I hope that the decision that will be made very soon by the (French) National Assembly will meet the expectations of the public which continues to rely on the international community, most notably the French.”

France is expected to vote on its military presence in CAR on February 25. Its mission’s mandate will expire in two months.

Christian militia groups in the Central African Republic have been raging violence against Muslims, many of whom have escaped the country so as not to get killed by the militia.

On December 5, 2013, France deployed 1,600 troops to the Central African country to help 6,000 soldiers of the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) trying to end the violence in the country. However, many say the French troops are turning a blind eye on crimes committed by Christian militiamen.

Earlier this week, Paris announced that it would send 400 more soldiers to its former colony.

The request by Samba-Panza comes a day after United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a rapid deployment of at least 3,000 soldiers to the Central African Republic.

The recent violence in the country has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people.