UN troops have raped a woman in Mali. What sticks out is the UN spokesman specifically rejecting financial compensation while offering legal support to the victim. As if any legal action by a woman from Mali is likely to succeed against the UN rapists protected by UN immunity and anonymity. The rapists can only face disciplinary action from their own country – and I am quite sure there will be none.
Sexual misconduct by UN troops (Congo, Cambodia, Ivory Coast and Haiti for example) is nothing new. Of course the UN can only mirror its member countries but UN staff – whether bureaucrats or soldiers – are pampered, grossly overpaid and are just not accountable for their negligence or their incompetence or for deliberate misconduct. No UN staff ever received any strictures for bringing cholera to Haiti. At least the Dutch courts accepted their Government’s liability for the killings of those expelled from the UN compound by Dutch troops at the Srebrenica massacre. It was a little late for the victims though.
The United Nations says at least four of its peacekeepers were involved in the rape of a woman in Mali. The soldiers have been identified as being among 1,500 Chadian troops serving under the UN force, Minusma.
The UN says it wants Chad to investigate the incident and take disciplinary action against the men.
Minusma took over security duties in July after the withdrawal of French forces, which led an operation to oust Islamist militants from the north.
The assault is believed to have happened on Thursday in the northern city of Gao.
The woman is thought to have come forward seeking medical help from the UN immediately after the attack. This triggered the UN force to launch an investigation. ……
The BBC’s Alex Duval Smith in Bamako says it is not known exactly how many Chadians were involved, but the victim identified four soldiers as having assaulted her.
At the time, 165 Chadian soldiers were stationed in Gao, our correspondent adds. They had defied the orders of their superiors and left their base in Tessalit after a dispute over pay and conditions.
A Minusma spokesman in Bamako said it was for the Chadian army to decide on what disciplinary action they should take against the men.
He said the victim would be offered medical, psychological and legal support but not financial compensation.
Tags: accountability, Chad, Mali, UN misconduct, UN rapists, United Nations
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