HIGHLIGHTS OF RESULTS The Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights meets with religious leaders from Mopti, in Mali, to discuss the security situation in the region, November 2017. © UN Photo/Harandane Dicko and the fight against impunity before ordinary courts and transitional justice bodies. Among other provisions, the strategy includes a proposal for measures of protection aimed at ensuring the security and well-being of witnesses and victims. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the deployment of Joint Investigation Teams on 23 occasions, as well as the holding of 25 mobile court hearings, enabled a total of 903 witnesses and victims to claim their rights and file complaints. This resulted in the sentencing of 11 military officers and three police agents for sexual violence offences. In Nigeria, a working group established in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to handle terrorism cases initiated the first major trial of Boko Haram detainees. In addition, the National Human Rights Commission organized public hearings on evictions and investigated allegations of serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by the military in the context of its deployment in Plateau State. Moreover, in South Sudan a special tribunal was established by the General Court Martial to carry out hearings in the trial of 12 army officers accused of committing crimes and human rights violations in Juba, in 2016. In Colombia, UN Human Rights contributed to facilitation of dialogue to prevent violence and reduce ten- 48 UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2017 sions in demonstrations. For instance, in October 2017, the Office helped reduce tensions between indigenous communities, mobilized in various regions of the country, and public security forces. This approach was also useful in ending a civil strike in Buenaventura. Other relevant examples include the dialogue process facilitated in La Lengüeta (Santa Marta) to promote respect for the territorial rights of the indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the negotiations between peasants and the Government in Catatumbo (Norte de Santander), where agreements were reached on local development projects. In Mexico, a law on disappeared persons entered into force, including a UN Human Rights recommendation to establish a mechanism to search for disappeared persons. The Government of Afghanistan endorsed the National Policy on Civilian Casualty Prevention and Mitigation and the Taliban established a Department for Prevention of Civilian Casualties and Complaints that is responsible for documenting civilian casualties and investigating complaints against Taliban members. In Yemen, the UN Human Rights monitoring, documentation and investigation mechanism conducted more than 100 visits to conflict-affected areas, prisons and detention facilities. Its findings were shared with the international community and national authorities for advocacy purposes.