UN soldiers told: No sex
2005-02-11 15:03
United Nations - United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been barred from having sex with locals after reports of sexual abuse of girls as young as 13, the United Nations announced.
In a letter to the Security Council, UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan said the "non-fraternisation" policy had been put in place
along with a curfew for military contingents and other measures in the African nation.
"We cannot tolerate even one instance of a United Nations
peacekeeper victimising the most vulnerable among us," Annan said
on Wednesday in his letter. He expressed "personal outrage" at the DRC revelations.
A report last month by the UN's internal watchdog said that
personnel in Monuc, as the UN's DRC peace operation is known, had
sex with girls in exchange for eggs, packets of milk or cash sums
as little as $1.
Annan asked for more police and French-speaking investigators
"with special skills in sexual exploitation and abuse cases" to
help in the DRC.
"As the organisation actively works to root out this problem, we
must leave no stone unturned," he said.
Annan said he had sent Angela Kane, a UN assistant secretary
general, to the Congo for more enquiries and warned that her work
would likely lead to a short-term increase in abuse allegations.
"We will not refrain from holding accountable those in the
entire chain of command who fail to act decisively to enforce the
zero-tolerance standard," the UN chief said.
The UN has been investigating 72 allegations of sexual abuse
among its peacekeepers, most of them from the 12 000-strong Monuc.
"The 'non-fraternisation' policy is terrible for us," said a UN
official in Kinshasa who asked not to be identified. "Every day we strive to build trust with the local population, and these measures are going to cut us off from the people. They're already seen in a bad light, bordering on racism."
Created in 1999 to oversee a ceasefire in Zaire's protracted
civil war, the DRC operation is the largest of the UN's
peacekeeping missions around the world, costing some 746 million
dollars a year.
The first Monuc troops were deployed in March 2001. Their
force's mandate and numbers have been renewed and increased on several occasions. It's current mandate, expiring March 31, allows for its enlargement to 16 700 troops. Forty-seven nations contribute to MUNOC's ranks.
The United Nations has no standing army of its own and relies on
contributions of troops and civilian personnel from member nations.
The world body has little leeway for dealing with wrongdoing by
peacekeepers except to send them back to their countries of origin.
- SAPA