Conflict in the Central African Republic intensified in 2012 when disparate Muslim groups in the country unified under the banner of the Seleka movement. Angered by the exclusionary rule of President Francois Bozize's administration — which mostly served the interests of his family and close inner circle — Seleka militias overthrew him despite his pleas for French help. Instead, French forces already in the country opted to protect the international airport but did not intervene to protect Bozize or his government. Bozize's downfall left a power vacuum that the Seleka movement tried to fill by appointing Michel Djotodia as president. Large-scale sectarian violence broke out as Christians in the country formed their own militias, the Anti-Balaka, and attacked Muslims in Bangui. More than 100,000 Muslims fled the capital for the country's northern provinces and to Cameroon and Chad.