“These new allegations concern a report that three young females were raped by three members of a MINUSCA military contingent”, she added, saying that one of the women is a minor.
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However, according to the UN’s latest troop-deployment map, soldiers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the only UN forces stationed in Bambari. However, unnamed UN sources confirmed to the Reuters news agency that the suspects were Congolese soldiers.
Wednesday, a top official of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSCA) outlined yet more cases of sex-for-food allegations in the ravaged central African nation.
“The Troop Contributing Country has been asked to indicate within ten days if it intends to investigate the allegations itself”. The latest incidents bring the number of sexual misconduct allegations at MINUSCA to 13 since it was officially formed in April 2014, out of a total of 61 misconduct accusations made against the mission.
Information gathered by the Human Rights and Child Protection sections and the MINUSCA police have been submitted to the UN internal oversight body (OIOS), which is mandated to investigate cases of alleged misconduct by UN forces, identify perpetrators and ensure accountability for victims. In July, six peacekeepers were repatriated for excessive use of force against detainees.
The UN spokeswoman did not reveal the nationality of the accused members of the worldwide mission.
Ban Ki-moon said he could not articulate how “anguished, angered and ashamed” he is by repeated reports that United Nations peacekeepers have been involved in sexual abuse and exploitation. The mission is also being investigated over how it handled several child sexual abuse allegations against French troops past year.
Last week, Amnesty global released a report detailing the disturbing rape of a 12-year-old during security operations in Bangui in the early hours of August 2. The peacekeepers were carrying out an operation in the PK5 neighborhood, one of the few remaining Muslim residential areas. The next day, peacekeepers returned and shot residents, seemingly at random, leaving a father and his young son dead.
“Going forward, you may wish to consider that there could be a systemic problem”, wrote Gaye.
Ms. Maestracci elaborated that the mission was determined to punish any acts of misconduct, including sexual violence by its personnel – hence the importance of protecting the integrity of the investigations and the confidentiality of victims and witnesses.
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Last August, the New York-based Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict said Congo’s troops, which were already in the country as part of an African Union mission, should be excluded from the UN mission.
