15:51, 26-Feb-2018
S. Sudan Peacekeeping: Ghanaian unit accused of sexual misconduct in Wau
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More news about a scandal over UN peacekeepers in South Sudan -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has cited some Ghanaian peacekeepers for engaging in sexual misconduct. A UN statement said some of the 46-member unit allegedly engaged in "transactional sex" with women, in a protected camp in Wau.
A unit of Ghanaian peacekeepers in South Sudan has been withdrawn amid allegations of sexual exploitation. Some of the 46 member team are accused of allegedly preying on women at a protection camp in Wau, in the country's northwest.
The UNMISS has an instituted zero tolerance, to sexual exploitation and abuse code. The regulation outlines that any such act 'undermines the critical work of the mission and compromises its credibility with the people of South Sudan'. The Ghanaian unit has been fully withdrawn from the Wau base to Juba.
UNMISS has more than 17,000 peacekeeping personnel, 13,000 soldiers and 1500 police including Chinese troops who carry out the Mission's mandate to build durable peace and protect civilians in South Sudan .
The Ghanaian peacekeepers previously had been commended by UNMISS command for their efforts. UN has informed their headquarters in New York of the action taken, saying it is disappointing that the actions of a few risks staining the record of an otherwise effective force.