TANZANIA: Tanzania to probe sex abuse claims in DRC

He said Tanzania has already formed a board of inquiry to investigate the allegations.

UN soldiers on a military pickup truck in Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on October 23, 2014. Tanzanian peacekeepers in the DRC have been accused of sex abuse. AFP PHOTO | ALAIN WANDIMOYI

NEW YORK

Tanzania will investigate allegations of sex abuse claimed to have been committed by the country's peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We will cooperate fully with the (UN) secretariat to ensure full and timely investigations,” Tanzania's ambassador to the United Nations Tuvako Manongi told a meeting of the UN General Assembly.

He said Tanzania has already formed a board of inquiry to investigate the allegations.

Six girls and five women in the eastern DRC village of Mavivi have claimed that they were impregnated by current and former members of the Tanzanian contingent attached to the UN military mission in the country.

Seven of the 11 who are charging sexual abuse have already given birth, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Tuesday. He said the other four are still pregnant.

Mr Haq said depending on the outcome of the investigation, “all measures will be considered in terms of how we respond, including potentially the repatriation of the (Tanzanian) unit.”

“Command accountability will also be sought,” he said.

On his part, Ambassador Manongi promised that Tanzanians troops found to have engaged in sexual exploitation will be subject to disciplinary measures “including dismissal from the military upon completion of applicable penalties.”

“Charges against our personnel do not offer us a moment of pride,” he said.

The Tanzanian brigade of nearly 1000 soldiers and police is being confined to a UN base camp as the investigations commence.

Ambassador Manongi affirmed that Tanzania strives to abide by the highest standards in UN peacekeeping missions.

“In spite of these unfortunate and unjustifiable misdeeds by a few individuals we remain proud of our military personnel, many of whom have served out country as well as the United Nations with distinction," he said.

The Tanzanian troops are part of a 3000-member UN combat force in the eastern DRC.

Asked how the confinement of the Tanzanian brigade may affect the UN military mission in the DRC, Mr Haq said “We hope that we're able to resolve this matter quickly enough that we can also go about all the necessary activities on the ground, so that we can ensure the safety and security of the civilian population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

Daily Nation