Off the wire
• Bill Clinton says optimistic about Brazil's economy  • China, Pakistan pledge closer military cooperation  • Roundup: U.S. stocks tumble amid rate hike concerns, diving oil  • UN Security Council calls for inter-Burundian dialogue to resolve crisis  • UN, regional bodies pledge to join hands to end deterioration of crisis in Burundi  • Kerry: "Not on the threshold" of an agreement at next Syria talks  • Massa: Home fans give me 'extra horsepower'  • 1st LD Writethru: U.S. stocks tumble amid rate hike concerns, diving oil  • Indian PM aspires to have "leading global partnership" with Britain  • U.S. dollar falls on profit-taking  
You are here: 　 Home

Roundup: UN mission in CAR sends team to probe new allegations of sex abuse against blue helmets

Xinhua, November 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has dispatched a team to gather facts, following new allegations of misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, and fraternization with the local population by peacekeepers, a UN spokesman said here Thursday.

The fact-finding team was sent by the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"The multifunctional team will also aim to sensitize the troops involved and take immediate preventive and disciplinary measures; and more broadly to take corrective action against misconduct throughout the mission, should the allegations be substantiated," Dujarric said.

The UN secretary-general's special representative, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, condemned such acts and conveyed his commitment to ensure justice is served in each and every case, the spokesman said. "He also reiterated his intention to take swift and appropriate measures should the allegations be substantiated."

"The secretary-general echoes these sentiments and believes that any single act of misconduct or abuse tarnishes the work of all peacekeepers," he said.

These new allegations follow what the United Nations has confirmed to be 63 allegations of misconduct at the UN Mission since it began operations last year, with the UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, Herve Ladsous, reporting after a four-day visit to CAR in September that out of these 63 allegations, "15 relate to possible sexual exploitation and abuse. ... Most of those cases are under investigation."

"Fifteen cases are definitely too much, and I had a long meeting with uniformed personnel in Bangui, I gave them a very, very, strong worded speech based, of course, on what the secretary-general himself had said when the problem surfaced," Ladsous stressed at the time.

Ladsous'press briefing on the issue was shortly followed by a meeting at UN Headquarters with troop- and police-contributing countries during which UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlining specific actions aimed at ending sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel that require "urgent" support from countries that provide troops and police to peacekeeping operations. Enditem