United Nations mission in Democratic Republic of Congo announces strong measures against peacekeepers

By Alhaji Umar
Kanempress
13th October 2023

The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has announced that it has taken “strong measures” against peacekeepers suspected of “serious misconduct.”

According to internal documents from MONUSCO eight peacekeepers deployed in Beni, eastern DRC, were arrested on October 1st, and an officer was suspended on October 8th as part of a case involving alleged sexual exploitation and violence.

All of them belong to the South African contingent of the UN force and may be implicated in what internal reports describe as a “systematic and widespread violation” of UN rules against exploitation and sexual abuse.

The Officer allegedly intimidated and threatened UN personnel after peacekeepers were arrested for visiting brothels, leading to an attempted escape, a brawl, and a chase with UN military police.

Kanempress reported that, Congolese President, Félix Tshisekedi has urged Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, including South Africa, to deploy troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to help curb the M23 rebellion, which has captured large swaths of North Kivu province since.