A United Nations peacekeeper in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been suspended over allegations that he fathered a child with an underage girl.
According to DR Congo laws, anyone under 18 years is considered to be a minor.
The suspended peacekeeper, a Romamian national, is among five peacekeepers accused of acts of sexual abuse and exploitation in the first three months of 2017.
UN peacekeeping missions, es[ecially in the DR Congo, have been dogged by a series of sex abuse scandals.
The BBC reports Adama Ndao, head of the conduct and discipline team for the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (Monusco), to say that the underage girl involved in the case has been put under the care of the UN children’s agency Unicef.
All the other cases involve adults.
Two of the complaints come from women who are demanding paternal recognition from the peacekeepers they had sex with, Ms Ndao added.
She said that one of the women has already had her baby, while the other is still pregnant.
Two South African soldiers and two non-military Monusco officials, from Burundi and Niger, are among the accused.
All have been suspended pending the outcome of investigations.
