UN peacekeepers from Nepal are facing allegations of child rape
in South Sudan, the UN spokesman said Monday, describing the case as
"especially heinous."
At the request of the United
Nations, Nepal agreed to send a team of investigators to work with the
UN office of internal oversight on the case.
"Any act of sexual abuse is horrendous," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. "One involving a child is especially heinous."
The
allegations were received on April 13 and involve Nepalese troops
serving in the UN mission in South Sudan who allegedly raped two teenage
girls, UN officials said. It remains unclear how many Nepalese soldiers
are involved.
The United Nations has deployed 14,800
troops and police in South Sudan, with a mandate to protect civilians
caught up in a brutal war between President Salva Kiir's forces and
rebels.
In February, 46 UN peacekeepers from Ghana were
recalled from their base in northwestern South Sudan after the mission
received allegations of sexual exploitation of women.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has vowed to toughen the
UN response to allegations of misconduct against the blue helmets, whose
mission is to protect vulnerable civilians in conflict zones.
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