United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has vowed to crack down on abuse and misconduct by peacekeepers and is pushing to ensure greater transparency and accountability by governments of those found guilty of such behavior.
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Devoting significant efforts to prevention, MINUSCA is making sure that its troops undergo training, including on sexual exploitation and abuse, prior to their deployment in country, and once on the field.
The mission of more than 10,000 uniformed personnel was first authorised in Central African Republic in April 2014 to curb fighting between the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels who had seized power in 2013 and the anti-balaka Christian militias.
He also repeated his intention to start naming countries. “These new allegations concern a report that three young females were raped by three members of a MINUSCA military contingent”. “Of these cases, 9 involve alleged attacks on minors”, Mrs. Corner pointed out.
The sanctions were announced as the Central African Republic prepares for key parliamentary and presidential elections in October, seen as a test of the country’s progress in its political transition.
She says no one has been convicted. She called the sharp rise in reported cases over the past three months a “blight” on the mission.
“We have a provisional toll of ten dead and five injured”, the official said.
Noting that the mission will make sure to preserve all available evidence related to the allegations Corner said: “If the country fails to open an investigation or does not respond to the request of UN Headquarters, the organisation will launch its own investigation”.
Ban has denounced sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers as a “cancer in our system”.
“A new series of disturbing allegations of misconduct have recently come to light”, United Nations spokeswoman Vannina Maestracci told reporters.
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The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a trio of militia leaders on Friday for allegedly inciting violence in the Central African Republic and facilitating illegal diamond trading that has helped fund a deadly conflict responsible for forcing thousands to flee their homes since the start of the year.
