11 Tanzanian peacekeepers accused of sexual abuse and exploitation in Congo will undergo paternity tests as part of investigations into the massive sex abuse scandal that has rocked the UN.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told reporters that troops from the mission’s Force Intervention Brigade in the village of Mavivi in eastern Congo have been confined to the mission’s base camp by its commander pending investigation.
Unlike other international peacekeeping troops, the brigade is mandated to take offensive military action against rebel groups to help end Congo’s long-running conflict by neutralizing and disarming the fighters.
Dujarric said the 11 accused peacekeepers include four from the mission’s current deployment and seven from a previous contingent.
The UN has been on the spotlight for months over allegations of sexual abuse by its peacekeepers, especially those based in Congo and the Central African Republic.
Last week, the UN revealed that more than 100 girls had come forward with new sexual abuse accusations against the peacekeepers in the C.A.R.
Dujarric also encouraged others with information on the sexual abuse allegations to come forward.
The 20,000-strong Congo peacekeeping mission began in 1999. The conflict there is a spillover from the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda.
