Brussels, 29/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has informed the European Union about allegations of possible sexual exploitation and abuse by some personnel of the EU military operation in the Central African Republic (EUFOR RCA) that was deployed on the ground from June 2014 to mid-March 2015.
The spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini responded on Friday 29 January that the EU takes these allegations very seriously. In a press release, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said that it had been informed of these allegations by the Office of the High Commissioner on 19 January.
The alleged acts by members of this EU operation, including contingents from 12 EU member states, Serbia and Georgia, reportedly took place around or inside the M'Poko camp for displaced people over the course of 2014. The camp is situated near Bangui airport. Sexual abuse was reportedly committed in the same camp by 14 soldiers from the French Sangaris operation in the CAR, according to information uncovered in May 2015. At that time, suspicion also weighed upon Georgian soldiers from the EU operation.
On Friday 29 January, the High Commissioner announced that a joint team from the UN in the CAR had recently questioned several girls who stated that they had been sexually exploited or abused by foreign soldiers, and four of these girls, aged 14-16 at the time of the acts, said that the offenders belonged to contingents operating within the EU force (EUFOR RCA).
Two of these girls stated they had been raped by EUFOR soldiers, and two others said they had been paid to have sexual relations with other soldiers from the operation. Although the nationality of some soldiers has not been clearly established, three of these girls said they thought the offenders were part of the Georgian contingent, the press release adds.
One NGO also informed the EU of an allegation of sexual abuse. However, according to a European source, it is still not certain that this case is part of those revealed by the High Commissioner. According to this same source, less than ten members of EUFOR were reportedly concerned by these allegations.
Mogherini's spokesperson also stated that the EEAS had immediately proposed its assistance to the High Commissioner and his team, as well as to the states potentially concerned, in order to cooperate on following up the alleged acts. “According to EU missions and operations rules, responsibility for any investigation, disciplinary or criminal action remains in the hands of the contributing states” to the missions and operation, the spokesperson said. A European source said that the states concerned were investigating these allegations. Nevertheless, the EU has sent an expert to examine how to cooperate in these procedures with the office of the High Commissioner.
The EU stated that it had a policy of zero-tolerance regarding sexual misconduct or criminal activities. All the documents and instructions of EU missions and operations include strict rules which aim to prevent such behaviour, the spokesperson said. These documents are also intended to ensure that the relevant national authorities can investigate such incidents correctly, the spokesperson added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)