LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The United Nations said it will repatriate nine peacekeepers from a South African contingent in eastern Congo who were accused of sexual assault and other abuse.
The U.N. decided to immediately repatriate the peacekeepers and a senior officer of the South African army “due to the seriousness of the allegations against them,” the organization said in a statement on Friday.
Such accusations of sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers are not new in various parts of the world, from Congo to Haiti where peacekeepers are deployed.
The abuses are particularly rampant in Congo, which accounted for one-third of the nearly 2,000 sexual abuse and exploitation complaints made against the U.N. worldwide in 2017.
Last year, Secretary-General António Guterres said the organization has "not succeeded in all respects, but neither have we stood still” in handling the sexual abuse crisis.
Persons:
António Guterres
Organizations:
United Nations
Locations:
LAGOS, Nigeria, Congo, Haiti