UN says peacekeepers involved in sex abuse

UN says peacekeepers involved in sex abuse	24.07.2007
THE UN peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast has confirmed some of its troops from Morocco sexually abused underaged girls in the west African country. "There was an internal investigation, which proved the facts. There are minors among the victims concerned,`` a UN spokeswoman Margarita Amodeo said. The UN at the weekend suspended a Moroccan peacekeeping unit based in Ivory Coast after an internal probe into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by some of its soldiers. A full investigation has now been launched into the claims, which centre on a 732-strong Moroccan contingent based in Bouake in the rebel-held north of the divided country, the UN said. Ms Amodeo said the results so far showed the cases were confined to the one peacekeeping unit based in Bouake. "The investigators are in the process of gathering all the facts,`` she added. Human rights groups in Ivory Coast expressed outrage at the allegations levelled against the troops. Peacekeepers were deployed in 2003 to oversee a ceasefire between the rebels, who held the north of the former French colony following an attempted 2002 coup against President Laurent Gbagbo, and the government troops who held the south. The UN has about 8000 peacekeepers stationed in the one-time beacon of stability and economic powerhouse of west Africa. They are backed by more than 3000 French troops. Morocco has the second-largest UN contingent after Bangladesh.

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