10th June 2023 – (United Nations) On Friday, the United Nations announced that a Tanzanian military unit of 60 personnel deployed in the Central African Republic (CAR) is to be repatriated. This decision comes in the wake of serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against these peacekeepers. According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the unit was deployed at a temporary operating base in the western part of the CAR.
The UN Secretariat in New York made the decision to send the Tanzanian unit home after consultations with MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeping mission in the CAR. Dujarric stated that the decision was made following a preliminary investigation that found credible evidence of sexual exploitation and abuse of four victims by 11 members of the unit.
Dujarric further explained that the Tanzanian authorities have been formally notified and have deployed national investigation officers to the CAR. The UN remains committed to implementing the secretary-general’s vision zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, he added.
The UN’s decision to repatriate the Tanzanian peacekeeping unit underscores its commitment to addressing and eradicating sexual exploitation and abuse within its peacekeeping missions. The UN has repeatedly stressed that such behaviour violates the trust and obligations of peacekeepers to protect vulnerable communities and undermines the credibility of UN peacekeeping operations.