A/HRC/42/61 37. Despite the significant decrease compared to 2017, levels of violence and abuse remain high. 38. The first quarter of 2019 was relatively calm, with a marked decrease in the number of human rights violations and abuses compared to the last quarter of 2018. This decrease can be explained in part by the absence of any major confrontations between rival armed groups or attacks on the civilian population, as well as the signing of the Peace Agreement on 6 February 2019 in Bangui. However, the attack carried out by members of the group Retour, réclamation et réhabilitation, a signatory to the Agreement, was a setback in this trend towards improvement. 39. From January to June 2019, MINUSCA documented 564 incidents of abuse and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that affected at least 1,079 victims. This represents a decrease of 36.9 per cent in the number of incidents and 36.5 per cent in the number of victims compared to the previous six-month period, when 894 incidents involving 1,700 victims were recorded. 40. The human rights violations and abuses identified during this period 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. 41. The Independent Expert is concerned about hate messages being spread via both traditional media, including radio, and online media. Such messages often lead to acts of physical and psychological violence. Echoing Security Council resolution 2448 (2018) of 13 December 2018, she condemns in the strongest terms all forms of incitement to violence and hatred, including on religious and ethnic grounds. Some of the messages call for racial or religious hatred, discrimination, xenophobia, hostility or violence, and sometimes even advocate genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Messages of this kind have a negative impact on social cohesion, coexistence and the enjoyment of human rights by all. 42. The Independent Expert has taken note of the national action plan for the prevention of hate speech and public incitement to violence, which has been developed by the High Council for Communication with support from MINUSCA. The plan lays the foundations for a strategy to combat public incitement to violence in the Central African Republic. The Independent Expert also notes the media monitoring programme launched by MINUSCA to identify publications containing incitement to hatred and violence. While stressing the need to preserve freedom of expression, she encourages MINUSCA to publish reports on the information collected in order to help prevent human rights violations in the country. B. Abuses attributed to armed groups 43. Most of the territory remains under the influence of armed groups, including those who signed the Peace Agreement. 44. These groups commit abuses and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law with impunity, assisted by the insufficient numbers of judicial, defence and security officials and other administrative personnel in many prefectures. The main allegations of human rights violations committed by armed groups relate to, inter alia, extrajudicial killings, acts of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, unlawful exercise of justice, conflict-related sexual violence, confiscation of property, attacks on humanitarian workers and peacekeepers, recruitment of children and abductions. 45. According to information provided to the Independent Expert, the vast majority of the human rights violations documented since the signing of the Peace Agreement have been perpetrated by armed groups that are signatories to it. 46. The Independent Expert continues to be concerned about the sense of insecurity caused by the actions of armed groups, as described to her by the people she spoke with 8 GE.19-13726