A/HRC/25/43 Republic (MISCA), France deployed additional military personnel as part of Operation Sangaris. That increased the number of French troops in the Central African Republic from 600 to 1,600 by 8 December 2013.7 Since 9 December 2013, military personnel taking part in the Mission for the Consolidation of Peace in the Central African Republic (MICOPAX)8 and Operation Sangaris have patrolled the capital in order to prevent unauthorized troops from moving around with weapons. Since that date, the former Séléka have restricted their movements in the city and some semblance of calm has been restored. However, the abuses have continued: on 10 December 2013, 35 injured were admitted to Bangui Community Hospital, and two mosques in the Fouh and Combattant districts were destroyed, bringing the number of mosques destroyed since 5 December 2013 to four. 14. Renewed clashes occurred in Bangui on 19 and 20 December 2013. Bangui Community Hospital admitted 54 injured on 20 December 2013 and 60 deaths were registered between 20 and 22 December. All this violence has taken a heavy toll: according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), by 30 December 2013, the number of deaths had reached 728 in Bangui alone and the number of displaced persons had reached 370,000 in the capital and 785,000 nationwide.9 15. In the face of the abuses committed against the civilian population and the seriousness of the humanitarian situation, the evaluation of the needs for technical assistance and capacity-building presents a challenge, as the need to provide protection and assistance to the civilian population should be considered a priority by the national authorities and the international community. III. Major challenges for the protection of human rights A. Permanent lack of security 16. The lack of security has resulted from several factors: the structural weakness of the national security forces, the emergency and proliferation of armed groups, the problem of highway robbery, the formation of self-defence groups and the free movement of small arms and light weapon. 17. The national security forces have not been well served by the practice of recruiting along ethnic lines, as a means of bolstering the ruling powers. Under the regime of former President Kolingba, his own ethnic group, the Yakoma, though a minority group in the country, had a dominant position in the Central African Armed Forces and was prominent in the Presidential Guard. 18. Under the regime of former President Patassé, the Sara-Kaba ethnic group to which he belonged replaced the Yakoma in the Presidential Guard, and the Yakoma were transferred to the Central African Armed Forces. The influence of the Yakoma in the Armed Forces declined thereafter as troops were cut by 25 per cent and the north-south balance between soldiers was restored. 7 8 9 GE.14-11122 French Ministry of Defence, “Sangaris: point de situation du 8 décembre”, 8 December 2013, available at the following address: www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/centrafrique/actualites/sangarispoint-de-situation-du-8-decembre. Since 19 December 2013, the Mission for the Consolidation of Peace in the Central African Republic, led by the Economic Community of Central African States, has been replaced by the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic. OCHA, “Central African Republic (CAR): Situation Report No. 4 (as of 30 December 2013)”, available at the following address: http://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/central-africanrepublic-situation-report-no-4-30-december-2013 (consulted 12 February 2014). 5