Elections in resulted in Bozize's election as president. National and international observers judged the elections to be generally free and fair despite some irregularities. Fighting between factions of armed groups, as well as between armed groups and government security forces, increased, and much of the northwestern, northeastern, and extreme southeastern parts of the country remained outside of government control.
Banditry remained a serious threat to civilians throughout the northern prefectures. Civilian authorities did not maintain effective control over the security forces. The government's human rights record remained poor. Government abuses included security forces continuing to commit extrajudicial executions in the north; torture, beatings, detention, and rape of suspects and prisoners; impunity, particularly among the military; harsh and life-threatening conditions in prisons and detention centers; arbitrary arrest and detention, prolonged pretrial detention, denial of fair trial; official corruption; occasional intimidation and restrictions on the press; and restrictions on freedom of movement and on workers' rights.
Mob violence resulted in deaths and injuries. Societal abuses included female genital mutilation FGM , discrimination against women and Pygmies; trafficking in persons; forced labor; and child labor, including forced child labor. Freedom of movement remained limited in the north because of actions by security forces, armed bandits, and armed groups. Sporadic fighting between government forces and armed groups continued to internally displace persons and increase the number of refugees.
Armed groups, some of which were unidentified, continued to kill, beat, and rape civilians and loot and burn villages in the north. Armed groups kidnapped, beat, raped, and extorted money from local populations. There were reports of children as young as 12 serving as fighters in armed groups.
There were no reports that the government or its agents killed members of opposing political groups, but soldiers, particularly the presidential security forces presidential guard , killed civilians they suspected of being road bandits or supporting armed groups. Both government security forces and armed groups killed civilians in the course of conflict in the north see section 1. During the year there were numerous credible reports that elements of the security forces, including the Central African Armed Forces FACA , and particularly the presidential guard, committed unlawful killings while apprehending suspects and, allegedly, in connection with personal disputes or rivalries.
