The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein on Saturday said he has urged several States to intensify their efforts to investigate long-standing allegations that soldiers in their forces sent to keep the peace in the Central African Republic may have committed very serious violations, including killing of civilians, summary executions, abductions and sexual exploitation of local women.
"These allegations were extremely disturbing," Zeid said. "People in CAR were desperate for protection. The role of international forces in halting the worst of the fighting and sectarian slaughter in CAR has been invaluable, and their presence has unquestionably saved many, many lives. Yet, in some cases the longed-for protectors turned into predators."
"In the wake of the revelations of alleged serious sexual abuse of children, currently under investigation by the French authorities, my Office has taken a deeper look into these issues and the extent of the follow-up into alleged serious violations by soldiers belonging to several other international contingents operating under the MISCA umbrella in 2014," the UN Human Rights Chief said. "Some of these incidents have been at least partly investigated, and some States have apparently sanctioned some of the soldiers involved, but the fact that a number of foreign contingents may have been implicated is in itself a matter of enormous concern," he added.
Several incidents, including ones involving excessive use of force, enforced disappearances and sexual exploitation and violence, were investigated promptly by UN human rights officers on the ground, and subsequently by the International Commission of Inquiry on the Central African Republic, which reported on a range of violations by international forces in December 2014. These included the disappearance of at least 11 people in Boali, a small town north of Bangui. An update on that incident is currently being prepared, after the second of two investigative missions to Boali took place in late March, and this will be published by the UN Human Rights Office next week.
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