“The Secretary-General is very aware of the need to stress a ‘zero tolerance’ policy among the troops”, the UN spokesperson reported on Thursday, and will probably make this point in person during an upcoming trip to Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the end of January.Â
The UN policy of “zero tolerance” was enunciated sometime in 2005, following months of reporting of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN Peacekeepers in the DR Congo, and in Burundi, in 2004.Â
There were reports in 2002 of sexual exploitation and abuse involving UN personnel, working for the UN High Commissioner of Refugees, who were supposed to be distributing humanitarian aid in Africa. (In 2005, the then-UN High Commissioner for Refugees, former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers, resigned after being accused by one of his colleagues of humiliating sexual fondling in their Geneva offices.)
The UN News Centre is reporting that “As part of the United Nations zero tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation, the world body’s mission in Sudan today [Thursday, apparently] agreed with the Government and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to set up a joint task force to foster coordination, information-sharing and action to stamp out the problem wherever it may occur. The agreement was reached during a one-day workshop in the Sudanese capital Khartoum that focused on policies aimed at preventing sexual exploitation and abuse being committed by military personnel, including peacekeepers, humanitarian workers and others. ‘The Task force’s mandate is to coordinate measures to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation; ensure more effective communication on the subject between all actors concerned from the UN and the Government of Sudan; and review existing mechanisms for reporting, response and follow up on allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation,’ according to a joint press release. The meeting took place at the initiative of the Sudanese National Council for Child Welfare (NCCW), and as well as involving the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and UNICEF, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) also took part. Participants acknowledged that sexual exploitation and abuse occur in most communities fragmented by conflict and devastated by war and poverty, and also that these acts are not exclusive to UN personnel, military or civilian, humanitarian workers or armed forces and armed groups of the country concerned. [Oh!...] This latest move to prevent and clamp down upon sexual exploitation comes after recent media reports of abuses by UN peacekeepers in southern Sudan, something that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other top officials have adamantly declared will not be tolerated.  http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21274&Cr=sudan&Cr1=
Is it the media reports, or the abuses, that will not be tolerated?
Meanwhile, Sudanese press reports indicate that the Government is not quite as satisfied as the UN about the response to the allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse [now apparently known by the acronym SEA].
The Daily Media Monitoring report of the UN Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) contains this item: “The Minister of foreign affairs, Dr. Lam Akol stated that his ministry will coordinate efforts with all the concerned government authorities to make pressure on the United Nations to receive the results of its investigations regarding the rape cases committed by UN peacekeepers personnel in south Sudan. Dr. Lam Akol briefed the national assembly on the results of meeting conducted between Sudan and Ambassador to UN and the UNSG Ki Moon [at UNHQ/NY]. The UNSG confirmed during the meeting that the United Nations will take measures against those who violated UN regulations that govern peacekeeping operations. Dr. Lam Akol added that the UNSG confirmed that he will give special attention to the investigations looking for cooperation with the concerned Sudanese authorities. Foreign Minister reiterated the government condemnation of the immoral crimes committed by the UN peacekeepers in south Sudan adding that the Sudan will request compensation for the victims. Dr. Lam Akol called for punishing those who committed such crimes in their duty places to avoid escaping the punishment. He stressed that Sudan will ask the United Nations to provide it with the results of the investigations that started in 2005.”
http://www.unmis.org/english/2007Docs/mmr-jan18.pdf
Some Sudanese want more than compensation — they also want an apology, from the UN.Â
An editorial in the Sudan Tribune (6 Jan 07), “UN must apologize to Sudanese” states that “In order that people forgive such crimes by the UN personnel [it] is [necessary?] to apologise to the Sudanese people for the misdeeds its staff have done against the minors in southern Sudan. This is the only way out to settle such crime also it must be followed a proper and independent investigate into the matter. Without such a step people would consider UN troops as wrong elements.” — contained in a UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) Daily Media Monitoring Report on 7 January.
http://www.unmis.org/english/2007Docs/mmr-jan07.pdf