Sonke Gender Justice has slammed the SA National Defence Force following allegations of misconduct by soldiers stationed on a peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Last week, the SANDF received a report from the United Nations claiming that soldiers in Benin were apprehended by the UN's military police for contravening curfew time and other regulations related to sexual exploitation and abuse.
The soldiers are deployed under the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monusco).
SANDF head of communication, Siphiwe Dlamini, said due to the seriousness of the allegations, the soldiers have been called back to South Africa to give an account of the events that transpired.
"Furthermore, National Investigating Officers (NIOs) have been dispatched to the Monusco deployment area to conduct a formal investigation. Upon completion of the investigation, the SANDF will pronounce itself," Dlamini said.
Co-executive director of Sonke Gender Justice and co-chairperson of the Global MenEngage Alliance, Bafana Khumalo, this is not the first time that the SANDF has been flagged for sexual abuse cases.
"The defence force’s soldiers deployed around the continent have been implicated in sexual exploitation and abuse cases ranging from rape, to taking advantage of women over the years, with about nine cases reported against South African peacekeepers in 2017 and four in 2018 respectively," Khumalo said.
The advocacy group called for consequence management for these serious violations of protocols by the soldiers.
"The process must be managed transparently to ensure that the victims and public are kept informed on the measures that will be taken to ensure accountability. It is unacceptable, to have this repeat itself but also because they are placed there as peace keepers who are supposed to protect the interest of the already fragile and vulnerable communities and yet they abuse them," he said.
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