A/HRC/26/53
often than not civilians, the leaders of the two groups consult each other from time to time,
in order to resolve their problems. She also had productive meetings with the members of
the humanitarian community of Kaga-Bandoro, who are doing remarkable work under the
guidance of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
5.
For her second visit, the Independent Expert wished to focus on the interior of the
country. She had, therefore, initially planned to visit the regions of Bangassou, Ndélé,
Bouar, Bossangoa and Berbérati and to enquire about the human rights situation and local
intercommunal reconciliation initiatives. However, owing to a lack of logistical resources,
including jet fuel, the Independent Expert was only able to visit Bangassou. She held
meetings with a number of politicians and various transitional officials, including the
Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Justice, the Minister Delegate and Legal
Adviser to the Office of the President of the Republic, as well as with local elected
officials, the diplomatic corps, the commander of the Sangaris force, representatives of the
United Nations specialized agencies, the acting Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations for the Central African Republic, the Representative of the
African Union (AU), human rights defenders, religious leaders and influential figures in
Bangui. She also undertook a mission to the interior, more specifically Bangassou, where
she met the main actors involved in intercommunal reconciliation initiatives. She also
visited the PK12 district of Bangui, where she held talks with the municipal authorities, and
the KM5 district, where she spoke with Muslim religious leaders.
6.
Throughout her mission, the Independent Expert collected information on
developments affecting the human rights situation and the state of implementation of the
recommendations contained in her oral update of 26 March 2014, including on the fight
against impunity and intercommunal reconciliation initiatives. That visit enabled her to
collect testimonies from local communities and associations and the local, municipal and
religious authorities and in particular, to obtain information about local intercommunal
reconciliation initiatives. Working with the transitional authorities, she was able to gauge
the progress made in restoring the authority of the State and in combating impunity through
the authorities’ efforts to rebuild the criminal justice system, redeploy administrative staff
and operationalize public institutions and services.
7.
An analysis of the situation shows that human rights violations continue to be
committed. Although the number of killings is falling, not a day goes by without reports of
acts of violence resulting in deaths or injuries in Bangui or in the interior. Intercommunal
conflict and fighting between former Seleka members and anti-Balaka militias give rise to
abuses and acts of extreme violence. In March 2014, the Independent Expert noted that the
overall situation in the Central African Republic continued to be marked by intercommunal
tensions grounded in social, political, religious and economic issues, reflecting
geographical and cultural differences. Unfortunately, these tensions lead to serious human
rights violations during systematic and violent intercommunal attacks. Abuses continue to
be perpetrated, including killings and the forced displacement of mainly Muslim
communities from their places of origin. Such attacks are followed by reprisals against
communities considered by Muslim civilians or former Seleka rebels to be Christian. In
many cases, Christian populations also act in reprisal for attacks blamed on Muslims or the
former Seleka. The clashes currently occurring in the hinterland between these two armed
groups, who do not hesitate to attack the MISCA and Sangaris international forces, have led
to a worsening of the security situation, to the detriment of the civilian populations who
bear the brunt of these attacks.
8.
In the present report, the Independent Expert describes the evolving human rights
situation in the Central African Republic, including the relevant influencing factors, and
assesses the measures taken by national actors and international partners. The Independent
Expert concludes the report with recommendations to the national and international actors
GE.14-03816
5
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