A/HRC/39/70 42. The Independent Expert notes that this situation contradicts the commitments made by the armed groups to turn to peace and shows the limitations of the military option for reducing their influence. She also notes the contempt of the armed groups for civilian protection and respect for international humanitarian law, despite the message that some abuses may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Expert appreciates the appeals of the national authorities and the international community to the armed groups, but notes that they are not enough to calm tensions and that additional strategies should be implemented to end the violence. 43. The strengthening of the position of the United Nations force by resolution 2387 (2017), adopted by the Security Council on 15 November 2017, in order to confront the violence of the armed groups also seems to explain the increase in attacks on the peacekeeping forces. Since July 2017, ten United Nations peacekeepers have been killed. The Independent Expert condemns these attacks on the United Nations peacekeeping forces, which may constitute war crimes. 44. Cases of cruel and inhuman treatment by armed groups on the basis of accusations of witchcraft have been brought to the attention of the Independent Expert in several regions. These allegations affect in particular the Mbomou region (south-west), where, on 5 May, in Béma, anti-Balaka elements under the command of Pino-Pino are alleged to have killed eight women accused of witchcraft, while on 30 May in Bangassou (south-east), antiBalaka elements commanded by Line Roger are alleged to have killed a woman for the same reasons. Other allegations concern Bria (centre east), where FPRC elements commanded by General Ali Ousta are said to have subjected three men to cruel and inhuman treatment in May and to have killed a woman on 3 June, all of whom had been accused of witchcraft. Such abuses are also alleged to have occurred in Batangafo (northwest) on 3 and 28 May, when anti-Balaka elements threatened a 32-year-old woman and killed a 60-year-old woman, both accused of witchcraft. 45. The Independent Expert notes that this phenomenon is not new (see A/36/64, paras. 59 to 62), but these reported examples indicate that the increasing number of such cases of abuse regularly undermines social cohesion and masks conflict-related violence. She again reminds the Central African authorities of their duty to redouble efforts to put an end to such mob justice without delay and to identify the criminal liability of the perpetrators of such acts. She invites MINUSCA to work with the authorities to develop awareness-raising campaigns and institute a national debate on this issue. B. Violations attributed to the national authorities 46. The Central African State has made efforts to protect the population and to deploy the administration and the national security forces in some regions. Nonetheless, the inadequate number of civil servants in some regions because of insecurity or lack of adequate resources to perform their duties has led to several human rights violations by the national authorities. The lack of representatives of the criminal justice system in some regions continues to affect pretrial detention periods. It also limits access to justice and the right of persons to be informed promptly and in detail in a language they understand of the nature and grounds of charges brought against them. 47. In February 2018, the Independent Expert regretted the lack of judges, who had, however, been redeployed, in the towns of Paoua, Bossangoa and Bria. During her visit to Paoua, she observed that the premises of the new Paoua Prison were empty for lack of prison guards. She then visited the premises of the gendarmerie, which, despite a recent escape, still held 16 prisoners sharing the same space, five of them women, one of whom was four months pregnant. In June, she went to Bangassou, where the local authorities also regretted that there had been no judges in the town for almost a year, resulting in impunity. Aware of the security risks, as in Bambari, where the court was looted in May 2018, the Expert called upon judges to display courage and join the administrative and prefectural authorities already present in the regions without further delay. 48. The Independent Expert was informed of the presence of the Central African armed forces, newly trained by the European Union Military Training Mission in the Central 8 GE.18-13342