A/HRC/36/64 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 28 July 2017 English Original: French Human Rights Council Thirty-sixth session 11-29 September 2017 Agenda item 10 Technical assistance and capacity-building Report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic Note by the Secretariat The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic, Marie-Thérèse Keita Bocoum, prepared pursuant to Council resolution 33/27. The report covers the period from July 2016 to June 2017 and describes the overall evolution of the human rights situation in the Central African Republic and the major developments affecting it. The period was marked by an increase in the number of human rights violations and abuses, linked to the upsurge in fighting and to attacks by the various armed groups since September 2016. Most of the abuses were committed during clashes between groups or targeted attacks against civilians or in connection with movements by armed groups and were the work of the ex-Séléka coalition led by the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique, as well as of the Union pour la paix en Centrafrique, the 3R group and antiBalaka groups acting alone or on behalf of the armed coalition. There are reports that, in certain cases, ethnic or religious communities were targeted because of their perceived affiliation with an armed group. Thousands of children have been re-recruited into armed groups after two years of efforts to reintegrate them into their communities of origin. Peace and reconciliation initiatives are essential but have so far failed to keep the guns at bay. Partners, neighbouring countries and friends of the Central African Republic must work to bring about a peace process that is transparent, inclusive and respectful of national sovereignty. Above all, peace efforts should never be promoted at the expense of justice for victims, given that impunity is one of the structural causes of violence in the country. The progressive establishment of the Special Criminal Court sends a strong signal in this regard. The humanitarian situation has deteriorated as a result of the upsurge in violence, giving rise to an increased number of displaced persons in the interior of the country and in Bangui, notably in the PK5 neighbourhood. Nearly half the Central African population is in a situation of need. GE.17-12914 (E) 220817 230817 