More UN peacekeepers accused of sexually abusing civilians

The United Nations on Thursday said it is addressing accusations that international peacekeepers from at least three countries sexually assaulted more than 100 girls and women in Central African Republic (CAR)—the latest in a series of scandals of peacekeepers preying on locals.

UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said the intergovernmental organization has started to investigate the allegations uncovered by UN teams sent to the region over the past two weeks. The UN team in Kemo prefecture, east of the country’s capital of Bangui, interviewed 108 victims, most of them minors. The victims accused troops from Burundi, France, and Gabon of assaulting them between 2013 and 2015. The UN has called on the countries involved to hold their troops accountable.

“We are taking these allegations—some of which are particularly odious—extremely seriously,” Al Hussein said. “It is vital that the victims are protected and receive all necessary care.”

The Code Blue Campaign run by AIDS-Free World, a U.S.-based advocacy group, first reported Wednesday night that UN peacekeepers had sexually assaulted 98 girls in CAR. The group said that in 2014, four girls were taken to a French military camp, where they were “forced to have sex with a dog.” The accused officials allegedly gave the girls the equivalent of $9, and one of the girls later died of an unknown illness. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the UN couldn’t confirm the report.

Seth Earn, legal advisor of AIDS-Free World, called the assaults “horrendous,” saying they highlight the lack of accountability in peacekeeping missions.

“It’s no surprise that when you have a culture of impunity and perpetrators know they can get away with sexual violence, the criminal actions will continue,” Earn said.

French UN ambassador François Delattre called the allegations sickening and promised “exemplary disciplinary action” and a criminal charges if they proved to be true. France began investigating its Sangaris force in CAR last year. Burundi and Gabon will participate in the UN investigation.

Cases of exploitation and sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers have been reported since the 1990s in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Liberia, and South Sudan, among others, according to Human Rights Watch. In January 2016, the group recorded eight sexual abuse cases by UN peacekeepers in CAR.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon formally published information on the nationalities of some accused peacekeepers earlier this month for the first time. He also endorsed policies to tighten action on military and police units accused of sexual assaults. But the human rights group said there’s room for more to be done.

“The UN’s reputation for protecting civilians is at stake,” Sarah Taylor, a women’s rights advocate with Human Rights Watch, said in a written statement. “The secretary-general’s report shines a bright light on peacekeeper abuses, but countries that contribute peacekeeping troops will need to follow through on prosecuting these crimes.”