Durban — The SANDF says it was not informed of allegations which include sexual exploitation and a direct breach of curfew time against its eight members by the UN as its normal procedure. The SANDF said it first learnt about this in the media.
The UN announced last week that eight members of the SANDF, who are part of the UN peacekeeping mission in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, had been arrested for alleged sexual abuse in that country.
Moreover, the SANDF has said it has received a report from the UN containing allegations of serious acts of ill-discipline and misconduct by its members.
In a statement the SANDF said it is alleged in the UN report that on Sunday, October 1, 2023, eight SANDF soldiers deployed in Beni were apprehended by the United Nations Military Police (UN MP) for these allegations and other regulations related to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA).
“It is unfortunate that the RSA, as a Troop Contributing Country (TCC) was not informed of these allegations as is normal procedure but first learnt about such in the media. The reporting procedure was not followed by the United Nations because the RSA Defence Advisor nor the RSA United Nations Representative were not informed as per the Standard Operating Procedure for all TCC’s,” said the statement.
The SANDF said due to the serious nature of the allegations, they have taken a decision to recall the implicated soldiers back to South Africa to answer to the allegations and to give account of events that transpired on the day in question in Beni.
“Furthermore, National Investigating Officers (NIOs) have been dispatched to the United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) deployment area to conduct a formal investigation. Upon completion of the investigation, the SANDF will pronounce itself,” said the statement.
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