A/HRC/36/64 53. LRA continued to commit serious abuses against the civilian population in the areas under its control in the east of the Central African Republic, to attack villages, to loot property and to abduct civilians almost routinely, subjecting them to forced labour, forced recruitment, sexual slavery, sexual violence and forced marriage. Between July 2016 and June 2017, the Human Rights Division documented more than 100 incidents, which left over 360 victims.8 The departure of Ugandan and American international forces is not only leaving a security vacuum, but is also affecting the provision of assistance to the victims of LRA. B. Violations attributed to the national armed forces 54. Arbitrary arrests and detention remain a serious obstacle to the administration of justice in the Central African Republic. All 615 cases of arbitrary detention documented by the Human Rights Division between July 2016 and June 2017 were related to the security forces’ failure to respect the 72-hour legal limit (renewable once) for detaining suspects before bringing them before a judicial authority. This situation remains due to the absence of a functioning judiciary, to technical and logistical constraints stemming from the security forces’ lack of training and to the unavailability of the resources necessary to ensure compliance with legal procedures. 55. The Independent Expert was also informed of a case that occurred in the context of the violence in the PK5 neighbourhood of Bangui in early October 2016, where elements of the Central African Armed Forces reportedly shot dead two people. C. Refugees and displaced persons 56. The Central African Republic has experienced a new wave of mass displacement as a result of the armed violence. As at 25 May 2017, 503,600 Central Africans, that is nearly 100,000 more than in the previous year, were internally displaced. As at 30 June 2017, 481,350 had fled, mostly to neighbouring countries. 9 57. In early 2017, the Government ordered the closure of the displaced persons’ site at M’Poko airport. As at 15 January, 17,151 persons had left the site and returned to the third and eighth districts and the suburbs of Bimbo. Since December 2016, the Ministry for Social Affairs and National Reconciliation has promoted these returns through its project to support the return and reintegration of displaced persons and refugees in the Central African Republic and its “Christmas at Home” operation, providing lump-sum payments to the displaced. 58. The problems of looting and destruction of goods and property and their restitution remain unresolved and need to be addressed in order to enable the return of refugees, while avoiding the creation of new flashpoints. The Independent Expert reiterates her recommendation to establish conditions under which the informed, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons and their reintegration into their community through the promotion of “living together” is possible. D. Violence connected with accusations of witchcraft 59. The ongoing conflict and traditional beliefs continue to fuel the phenomenon of witchcraft and crimes that, while supposedly prompted by accusations of sorcery, actually involve premeditated acts perpetrated by armed groups, more often than not to extort money from the victims. The Human Rights Division has documented 45 cases of violence 8 9 GE.17-12914 According to LRA Crisis Tracker, LRA was involved in 73 incidents, killed 7 people and abducted 216 others in the Central African Republic between July 2016 and June 2017; see www.lracrisistracker.com. See http://data.unhcr.org/car/regional.php. 9