A/HRC/24/59 36. During its visits to Sibut, Damara, Mbaiki and Kaga-Bandoro, the mission was unable to collect testimonies on cases of summary executions perpetrated by the Séléka owing to the atmosphere of fear among the population, most of whom were still in hiding in the bush. For security reasons, the mission was unable to visit Bambari and Bria to conduct further investigations on the existence of mass graves in these areas and to establish responsibilities. 2. Torture and ill-treatment 37. The Séléka reportedly tortured and ill-treated civilians at checkpoints, in illegal detention centres and in other places, in order to obtain information on the location of weapons, money and belongings. In Kaga-Bandoro, the mission interviewed a woman who had been victim of severe torture committed by Séléka members on 7 March 2013. The victim reported that she had been arrested by at least 16 Séléka soldiers. She was tortured for hours, beaten with weapons, kicked with boots, dragged and slapped. She was also subjected to mock executions. She was evacuated to Bangui, where she was admitted to a hospital for two months. 38. In many reported cases, torture and ill-treatment led to the death of the victim. On 13 March 2013, one person died in the village of Vangué, near Damara, after being tied up and beaten severely by Séléka soldiers a few days before their withdrawal to Sibut. 3. Sexual and gender-based violence 39. Information collected from protection actors suggests that sexual violence was committed by the Séléka in the country, including against children, from 10 December 2012 to 23 March 2013. It was, however, difficult for the mission to obtain testimonies from victims of sexual and gender-based violence or witnesses mainly because of their fear of stigmatization. 40. The city of Bangui registered the largest number of rape cases, as many victims left the provinces for the capital, where they reported the cases allegedly committed by the Séléka. The mission received credible and corroborated information of hundreds of cases of rape, including at least 250 registered in Bangui alone between January and June 2013, of which 140 were perpetrated by armed men reportedly belonging to the Séléka. One credible non-governmental organization documented 106 cases of rape committed by the Séléka in Bangui from December 2012 to April 2013. 41. Dozens of cases committed between 10 December 2012 and March 2013 were reported to the mission in Basse Kotto and Haute Kotto prefectures, and during field visits to Damara, Sibut and Kaga-Bandoro. 4. (a) Grave violations committed against children Sexual violence involving children 42. The majority of counterparts interviewed reported cases of sexual violence against children and the use of girls as sexual slaves. The mission itself received isolated information on alleged cases of sexual slavery. (b) Recruitment of children 43. Interviews conducted with children formerly associated with the Séléka coalition also confirmed allegations on the recruitment of children by the coalition between 10 10