Today, the peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic, based in Bangui, announced the decision by the Secretariat to repatriate a unit of 60 Tanzanian military personnel, who were deployed at a temporary operating base in the western part of the country. This follows serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against these peacekeepers. The decision comes after a preliminary investigation which found credible evidence that 11 members of the unit had allegedly engaged in sexual exploitation and abuse of four victims. The identified victims are being provided with care and support by the Mission’s humanitarian partners. The Mission has also deployed a team to further engage with the community.
The Tanzanian authorities have been formally notified and have deployed national investigative officers to the Central African Republic. In reaffirming their commitment to zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, the Tanzanian authorities noted the seriousness of the allegations and have committed to taking the necessary action to address these matters.
The unit has been relocated to another base while the investigation continues, and members are confined to the barracks. This is in order to protect victims as well of course the integrity of the investigation. The unit will be repatriated once their presence is no longer required in theater by the investigators.
The decision by the Secretariat to repatriate this unit is in accordance with resolution 2272 of the Security Council), where the Council “[…] endorses the decision of the Secretary-General to repatriate a particular military unit or formed police unit of any contingent when there is credible evidence of widespread or systemic sexual exploitation and abuse by that unit.” The United Nations remains committed to robustly implementing the Secretary-General’s vision of zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse.