Bunia - The UN mission in the DRC on Sunday pledged to uncover the truth over allegations that its troops sexually abused minors in this strife-torn eastern region, and to hand down severe punishment to anyone found guilty.
The head of the mission (Monuc) in Bunia, Dominique McAdams, also denounced what she implied was a free hand given to UN peacekeepers deployed in the Ituri region.
"There is a kind of impunity here that we have to end by punishing this kind of act", McAdams said in an interview with AFP.
On Thursday Monuc announced it was investigating charges that UN peacekeepers were involved in 30 cases of alleged sexual abuse against minors in Ituri. At UN headquarters in New York, a spokesperson said that both military and non-military personnel were being investigated.
Congolese police have said several complaints have been lodged against UN soldiers, often involving the rape of girls as young as 12.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1534961,00.html
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