UN To Withdraw All Gabonese Peacekeepers From Mission In CAR - Spokesperson

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published September 16, 2021 | 12:08 AM

The United Nations will repatriate all Gabonese peacekeepers from its mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) following credible reports of alleged sexual exploitation, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th September, 2021) The United Nations will repatriate all Gabonese peacekeepers from its mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) following credible reports of alleged sexual exploitation, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday.

"The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) announced a decision by the Secretariat to repatriate all Gabonese military units from the Central African Republic, effective immediately," Dujarric said during a press briefing.

Dijarric explained the decision follows credible reports received by the mission of sexual abuse by the Gabonese military contingent deployed to the peacekeeping mission and a history of pending allegations involving Gabonese contingents in car.

The United Nations has received a total of 32 allegations of sexual misconduct concerning 81 alleged perpetrators from Gabon since 2015 and out of the 32 allegations, six have been substantiated through an investigation, Dujarric noted.

"The decision taken by the Secretary-General comes after what we feel is demonstrated failure to respond effectively to a history of allegations and sexual exploitation in the Central African Republic by the Gabonese," Dujarric said.

The UN spokesperson also said that MINUSCA had dispatched an immediate response team to the location to assess the situation, establish prevention measures and inform communities how to report sexual exploitation and abuse.

In addition, the victims had been referred to humanitarian partners to receive medical support and social protection, Dujarric said.

The Gabonese contingent in the MINUSCA numbers about 450 personnel. To fill the void left by the Gabonese in the mission, consisting of 10,990 troops, the United Nations is currently working with the host government and contingents already present in the country, Dujarric added.