Head of scandal-hit U.N. Central Africa Force resigns- U.N. chief

Aug 17, 2015 According to U.N Secretary General, the head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, Babacar Gaye has resigned following a fresh round of allegations of sexual abuse and excessive use of force by peacekeepers.

According to the UN spokesperson, the decision to sack a mission chief was a clear signal that the United Nations was moving to address mounting allegations of misconduct by the blue helmets.

The MINUSCA force, which took over from an African Union mission nearly a year ago, has been plagued by a series of allegations involving its soldiers with over 57 claims of misconduct, 11 of which involved child sex abuse.

The latest allegations revealed by Amnesty International involve a 12-year-old girl who told witnesses that she was raped by a UN soldier during a search operation in the Muslim PK5 district of Bangui last week.

The behavior of international troops has recently come under deep scrutiny due to sexual abuse charges leveled against soldiers from France, Chad and Equatorial Guinea in Central African Republic in 2014.

The United Nations in June began a broad investigation into sexual abuse allegations and excessive use of force by some soldier.