A/HRC/4/41 page 10 16. Today, disappearances tend to occur in States suffering from internal conflict, such as Colombia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Philippines and the Russian Federation. In some cases radical political changes created conditions that led to hundreds of cases of disappearance. Elsewhere, hundreds and in some countries thousands of cases of disappearance remain unresolved and as such are ongoing crimes. Countries such as Algeria, Iraq, some countries in Central America, Peru, Chile and Argentina may be mentioned in this regard. 17. The Working Group would also draw attention to the phenomenon of underreporting of disappearance cases. Reasons include poverty, illiteracy, feelings of powerlessness, fear of reprisal, weak administration of justice, ineffectual reporting channels, institutionalized systems of impunity, a practice of silence and, in some regions, restrictions on the work of civil society on this sensitive issue. Nevertheless, the Working Group continues to receive positive information on the development of a cross-regional network of associations of families of victims and NGOs that are dealing with this issue and commends these efforts. 18. In the context of internal armed conflict, such as in Nepal, Uganda and Colombia, opposition forces have reportedly perpetrated disappearances. While the mandate of the Working Group is limited to violations carried out by State agents or non-State actors acting with the consent or acquiescence of the State, the Working Group condemns the practice of disappearance irrespective of who the perpetrators may be. D. The present report 19. The report reflects communications and cases examined by the Working Group during its sessions in 2006 and covers the period November 2005 to November 2006. 20. A summary of activities during the reporting period is presented in a table for each country, with a detailed text description of the areas of activity. Where there has been no correspondence or other activity during the period, only the table is provided and a reference is made to a description of cases. 21. In countries where the number of newly reported cases is less than 10, the names of the persons appear in the country section. If the number of newly reported cases is greater than 10, the list of names appears in annex IV. 22. The total number of cases transmitted by the Working Group to Governments since the Working Group’s inception is now 51,531. The total number of cases under active consideration that have not yet been clarified or discontinued stands at 41,232 and concerns 79 States. Over the past five years, the Working Group has been able to clarify 2,791 cases. 23. With respect to staffing, the situation has now stabilized. The Working Group looks forward to maintaining its improved ability to act as an effective channel of communication between Governments and families or representatives of victims. It is recalled that recent cases of disappearance are the priority of the Working Group. Large volumes of cases submitted to the Working Group many years after the person disappeared are processed by the secretariat and reviewed by the Working Group as an ongoing process.