Officials and diplomats said, France is withdrawing troops from Central African Republic as a United Nations peacekeeping force nears its full deployment, but will keep a presence to support the U.N. with a rapid reaction force. France has 2,000 troops in its former colony after intervening a year ago to stem violence between Christian militias and largely Muslim Seleka rebels, who took power. France's Sangaris troops and U.N. peacekeepers, who number about 7,500 now, have struggled to help a weak transitional government stamp its authority on the mineral-rich country.