A/HRC/30/59 C. Refugees and internally displaced persons 51. Some 900,000 people have been displaced by the violence since the crisis in the Central African Republic began in December 2013. They have sought refuge in Cameroon, Chad, the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. About 460,000 people are still today living as refugees in neighbouring countries (of whom about 220,000 have become refugees since December 2013), and some 436,000 persons have been internally displaced. Humanitarian organizations estimate that more than half of the population, that is, 2.7 million people, require emergency humanitarian aid. 8 52. The issue of internally displaced persons in the Yaloké enclave has come to the notice of the Independent Expert, who visited the area during her mission in February 2015. She found this enclave particularly worrying because of the very harsh living conditions there. In addition, between April and December 2014, about 40 members of the Fulani community who had taken refuge there died of disease and malnutrition. During her visit to Yaloké, 9 the Independent Expert noted that internally displaced persons had received increased attention and support in recent weeks and that their living conditions had improved. However, in the face of the authorities ’ reluctance to allow the Fulani to leave, the Independent Expert emphasized that the rights of internally displaced persons, including their right to freedom of movement, must be fully respected. 53. The Independent Expert stressed to all the persons she met with, including the highest State authorities, that, under international law, internally displaced persons were entitled to the same rights and freedoms as the rest of the population. The legal principles governing internally displaced persons — notably the freedom to leave or stay, the freedom of residence and the right of return — should apply at all times. 54. Following the joint visit, the Government relaxed its position and, as a first step, allowed the departure of some internally displaced persons on the ground of family reunification. Between 31 March and 4 April 2015, about 130 internally displaced Fulani left the Yaloké enclave on commercial trucks headed for Cameroon. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and MINUSCA helped to reunite 20 refugee families in Cameroon. As at mid-April, an estimated 330 displaced Fulani were still living in the Yaloké enclave. 55. The Central African Republic also plays host to Congolese refugees from the north-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who have fled the violence perpetrated by the Lord’s Resistance Army. There are about 3,400 Congolese refugees living in the Zemio refugee camp. Since the arrest of a senior Lord ’s Resistance Army commander in January 2015, the rebels belonging to that movement have intensified their attacks on the villages near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to an NGO report, the Lord ’s Resistance Army carried out some 25 kidnappings in February 2015 in villages near Zemio. 10 D. Violence connected with accusations of witchcraft 56. The Independent Expert continues to receive credible reports of numerous cases in which persons accused of witchcraft have been detained, tortured or killed by __________________ 8 9 10 12/22 www.unocha.org/car. www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15572&LangID=E. More than 180,000 people remain displaced in areas affected by the Lord ’s Resistance Army in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and more than 30,000 people have fled the violence to neighbouring countries (www.unhcr.org/551551499.html) . GE.15-12489