( CNN ) -- More French troops are on their way to the Central African Republic ahead of a United Nations Security Council vote on peacekeepers for the nation ravaged by persistent violence , sources in the African Union mission to the Central African Republic told CNN on Wednesday . The additional troops are coming through Cameroon while military supplies have already been flown into Bangui , the capital of the Central African Republic , the sources said . Late last month , France pledged to send 1,000 more troops to add to the 400 already there . The current troops in the nation , it says , are there in a noncombat mission to protect French nationals and help secure the airport in the capital . An African Union force is already in the nation . The U.N. has suggested its peacekeeping force should eventually augment the African-led mission . That potential force could number about 6,000 troops and 1,700 police personnel , the U.N. says . A vote should take place this week , officials have indicated . France to send 1,000 more troops to Central African Republic . Former leader Gen. Francois Bozize fled the country in March after a coup led by rebel leader Michel Djotodia . A transitional government was put in place , headed by Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye , but the country continues to be wracked by unrest , and new elections have yet to be held . The landlocked nation in central Africa is home to about 5 million people . It declared independence from France in 1960 and has since been under the leadership of presidents or emperors . Despite vast resources , including gold , timber , diamonds and uranium , it 's among the poorest nations in the world . Opinion : Why Central African Republic is slipping close to catastrophe . Central African Republic : What 's going on , what 's at stake , what 's next . CNN 's Nima Elbagir contributed to this report .
The French Republic government is under control of former rebel leaders . African Union set to authorize peacekeepers for the country . French troops there already act as a security force for French nationals . The nation was a Central African colony until this week and is 1,700 of the poorest on Earth .