A/HRC/42/61 received, more than 4,000 soldiers have been trained and more than 1,400 members of the Central African Armed Forces deployed in the territory since the start of the process, 1,100 of them with the assistance of various external partners. The Government has launched a second recruitment campaign, aiming to enrol 1,000 police and gendarmes for 2018–2019. The first started in November 2018, in implementation of the Military Planning Act adopted on 18 December 2018 by the National Assembly, which aims to create an army of 9,800 troops by 2023. The adoption of the Code of Military Procedure, its translation into Sango and the efforts made to disseminate it are further steps in the right direction. The Independent Expert is aware of the challenges that remain, such as the inadequacy of public institutions’ resources, the poor standard of training, the logistical difficulties and the problems of access to services. Banking services, for example, can only be accessed in Bangui, which puts some employees off going to other parts of the country, for fear that they will not get paid regularly. 32. The Independent Expert welcomes the support provided by MINUSCA and the European Union in the training, accreditation and certification of the Central African Armed Forces. 33. The Independent Expert recalls the right of every Central African to live in safety and calls on the authorities to step up their efforts in that regard. The effective restoration of State authority outside the main towns, the deployment of the security forces throughout the national territory and the acceleration of the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation process should help improve the situation. The Independent Expert believes that the systematic penalization of violations of the Peace Agreement would send a strong signal to combatants from the armed groups and would have a positive impact on security. At the same time, the assurance that the defence and security forces are working in a professional manner and that their members are punished in cases of abuse is also key to the improvement of security. 34. The Independent Expert noted that many of those she spoke to sought a lifting of the arms embargo, which would enable the country to effectively combat the threats to the lives and property of the population. Some highlighted the unfairness of the situation: whereas government forces find it difficult to obtain weapons, the armed groups purchase them illegally on the black market. In this regard, the Independent Expert has been informed by the authorities in charge of the reform that real progress has been made in professionalizing the army, for example by increased recruiting and by strengthening the capacity of the State to prosecute and punish rogue elements, factors that should favour the lifting of the arms embargo. III. Human rights situation A. General situation 35. During the period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019, the human rights situation fluctuated. The number of violations recorded remained high in 2018 but declined sharply in the first half of 2019. 36. In 2018, the Independent Expert was informed that more than 2,500 cases of violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law had been identified. During the second half of 2018, 875 cases were recorded involving at least 1,246 victims. The human rights violations committed during this period were perpetrated mainly by armed groups and included arbitrary executions, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, injuries or mutilation, conflict-related sexual violence, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, abduction, looting, destruction or appropriation of property, serious violations and abuses targeting children, including their recruitment and use as soldiers, and attacks on humanitarian workers. The Independent Expert was also informed of cases of damage caused to schools and health centres. The prefectures of Ouham-Pendé, Ouham, NanaGrébizi, Mbomou and Haute-Kotto were particularly affected. GE.19-13726 7