A/HRC/45/55 reached more than 697,000 in May 2020, while, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, some 615,000 civilians were still seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, although 2.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, the humanitarian response plan remains underfunded, with a budget gap to be filled. B. Refugees and internally displaced persons 72. Spontaneous voluntary returns of internally displaced persons have been reported in some areas. However, fighting and attacks by armed groups have continued to force tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, in both 2019 and 2020. Clashes between the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique and the Mouvement des libérateurs centrafricains pour la justice in Birao in September 2019 resulted in the displacement of approximately 14,000 civilians. 73. According to United Nations figures, the total number of internally displaced persons has exceeded 600,000, and the total number of refugees was also 600,000 as at February 2020. The living conditions of displaced persons and refugees, most of whom are living in camps, remain difficult, since they have very limited or no access to humanitarian assistance. 74. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the continuing violence. In addition to the difficult living conditions resulting from forced displacement, the presence of armed elements in the camps continues to put displaced persons at high risk of, inter alia, illegal taxation, sexual violence, arbitrary arrest, killings and recruitment of youth and child soldiers. 75. Underfunding of aid, restrictive measures related to COVID-19 and abuses by armed groups hamper the regular delivery of assistance to displaced persons and host populations in remote, conflict-affected prefectures. As for the participation of refugees in the December 2020 presidential election, the Independent Expert was informed that the Government had initiated discussions to allow them to participate in the elections, despite there still being no legal framework in place. The Independent Expert encourages actors to facilitate the voluntary and dignified return of refugees through a resettlement programme. V. Transitional justice and efforts to fight impunity 76. During his mission in February 2020, the Independent Expert noted a very strong call from all actors to end impunity. Following his meetings with victims’ associations and associations working in the field of transitional justice, the Independent Expert would like to stress the fundamental importance of background checks, including in the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation process, as a means of preventing persons suspected of having committed human rights violations, including sexual violence, from escaping justice. 77. The holding in February 2020 of criminal hearings by Bangui Court of Appeal, which tried the perpetrators of the crimes committed in Bangassou in 2017 and their accomplices, is an encouraging development. However, the fact that hinterland courts are only partially operational remains a concern. 78. The Special Criminal Court has just concluded investigations into some 10 cases. However, the prevailing climate of insecurity prevents the prosecutor’s office at Bangui Court of Appeal from being able to access to the entire territory to conduct investigations. Furthermore, the effective appointment and deployment of international judges 11 remains a challenge. 79. In addition, the support service for defenders and victims, which is the department of the Registry of the Special Criminal Court responsible for the effective implementation of 11 GE.20-10998 CCPR/C/CAF/CO/3, para. 9. 13