A/HRC/7/68 page 7 21. At the same time, the weakness of law enforcement agencies and delays in security sector reform not only consolidated impunity but also deepened a security vacuum. The majority of Nepal Police posts abandoned during the conflict were re-established in 2007, despite obstacles that included initial CPN(M) opposition and the actions of armed groups. 22. Nevertheless, many still suffered from a lack of infrastructure and equipment. Many police and local authorities complained about lack of support and directives from the national authorities, frequently citing insufficient resources and directives as the reason for not taking action to protect human rights, improve law and order and reduce impunity. 23. Lack of trust in the will or ability of law enforcement agencies to protect the population encourages lawlessness. In one of the worst incidents of social unrest, 14 people were killed, several thousand displaced and property extensively damaged as a result of communal violence which erupted after the killing of a local leader in Kapilvastu District, western Terai, in September 2007. Investigations by OHCHR concluded that local authorities had been ill-prepared and failed to intervene promptly to stop or prevent the spread of violence. These events highlighted the need for local government and civil society initiatives to address long-standing grievances and build trust among communities. 24. Although “people’s courts” and other CPN(M) parallel structures were mostly dismantled by 1 April 2007, parallel CPN(M) “law enforcement” activities intensified again and there were persistent reports of abuses, especially by the Young Communist League (YCL), which was re-established in December 2006 as a militant political organization under the direct leadership of CPN(M). Largely composed of former Maoist army and militia members, its leaders often described security and law enforcement as one of its main functions. 25. Armed groups also exploited the security vacuum and expanded their activities in the central, eastern, western and mid-western Terai. Their actions and the failure of State authorities to address them adequately had a severe impact on the protection of human rights in the Terai plains, especially the rights to life, security and physical integrity, and deepened the climate of fear and intimidation as well as divisions between Madheshi and Pahadi (people of hill origin) communities. The activities of journalists and human rights defenders, mostly from hill areas, were particularly restricted due to insecurity, threats and intimidation from armed groups, and some were displaced as a result. 26. OHCHR received reports of over 200 abductions and 85 killings, including of local government officials, by named or unidentified armed groups, principally by the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) factions, since December 2006. An increasing number of mostly small explosive devices were planted largely in the Terai (almost daily by January 2008 after the announcement of an election date), the worst incidents killing three people in Kathmandu in September 2007. The delivery of services to local populations by local authorities and non-governmental organizations was drastically reduced, particularly in the rural Terai areas. Many persons of hill origin have now left the southern Terai plains. 27. Unravelling the agendas and motivations of the armed groups is complex, even though most groups have articulated demands related to Madheshi issues. Such demands have sometimes been articulated in inflammatory language blatantly inciting communal violence