LONDON 11. August 2015 (Amnesty International): The rape of a 12-year-old girl and the apparent indiscriminate killings of a 16-year-old boy and his father by UN peacekeeping forces in the Central African Republic must be urgently investigated, with those implicated in the crimes suspended immediately, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
The incidents took place on 2 and 3 August as peacekeeping forces from the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) were carrying out an operation in the capital Bangui’s PK5 Muslim enclave.
“Our evidence strongly suggests that a UN peacekeeper raped a young girl and that UN peacekeeping forces indiscriminately killed two civilians,” said Joanne Mariner, Senior Crisis Response Adviser at Amnesty International.
Kræver uafhængig undersøgelse
“An independent civilian investigation must be urgently launched and those implicated must be suspended immediately and for the duration of the investigation.”
Amnesty International interviewed 15 witnesses in the immediate aftermath of both incidents, as well as the girl and members of her family. A nurse who examined the girl found medical evidence consistent with sexual assault.
The girl had been hiding in a bathroom during a house search at approximately 2am on 2 August. A man allegedly wearing the blue helmet and vest of the UN peacekeeping forces took her outside and raped her behind a truck.
“When I cried, he slapped me hard and put his hand over my mouth,” the girl told Amnesty International.
Muligvis en hævnaktion
A MINUSCA spokesperson told Amnesty International that the operation was carried out by Rwandan and Cameroonian police and gendarmes belonging to the UN peacekeeping forces.
During armed clashes with residents of the enclave early in the morning of 2 August, a Cameroonian soldier was killed and nine other soldiers were injured.
The following day, UN peacekeeping forces returned to PK5. Witnesses told Amnesty International that the peacekeepers were not under any threat but began shooting indiscriminately in the street where the killings had taken place.
Balla Hadji, 61, and his son Souleimane Hadji, 16, were struck by bullets in front of their house. Balla was apparently shot in the back, while Souleimane was shot in the chest. A neighbour who witnessed the killings told Amnesty International that “they were going to shoot at anything that moved.”
Without responding to the substance of Amnesty International’s questions about the PK5 operation, a MINUSCA spokesperson said it has opened an initial internal investigation into the operation.
Kritik af FN-systemet
In recent months, the UN has been criticized for its lack of adequate response to allegations of sexual abuse of children by international military forces in the Central African Republic.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently set up an External Independent Review Panel to examine the UN’s handling of these allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, and to make recommendations as to how the UN should respond to similar allegations in the future.
The UN and all its troop-contributing countries must fully adhere to its stated “zero tolerance” policy on sexual exploitation and abuse.
“These allegations of rape and indiscriminate killing committed by UN troops are supported by physical evidence and multiple witness accounts. There must be a prompt and thorough investigation by a competent civilian authority and the girl must receive full support including medical and psychological care,” said Joanne Mariner.
“UN peacekeeping forces in Bangui should review their rules of engagement to ensure they are taking all feasible precautions to avoid incidental loss of civilian life.”
