AIDS-Free World has received leaked information that 41 additional cases of sexual violence by peacekeepers have been documented by MINUSCA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), following interviews with victims in Dekoa, a remote town in the country’s Kemo prefecture. In an April 7th code cable, MINUSCA informed UN headquarters that an “integrated team” sent to Dekoa from March 25th to April 4th interviewed 59 women and girls. While some were on a list of 98 victims who reported sexual abuse to UNICEF last month, the team documented 41 new cases never previously reported.

The code cable to UN headquarters was sent during the visit to CAR of UN Special Coordinator Jane Holl Lute. On April 8th, the mission issued a video of Ms. Lute discussing top priorities: “…Third, we have to publicly come forward and say what do we know about this behaviour when it occurs.”

When it occurs? Ms. Lute had the information of these 41 new cases when the video was made. Where is the transparency? It’s quite a commentary on the way in which the UN works when the coordinator becomes the lead dissembler.

At the daily press briefing on April 7, the day New York headquarters received the cable, Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq told journalists who requested further details regarding over 100 reports of sexual abuse in CAR disclosed by Code Blue on March 30, 2016, “We’ve been providing updates on that in recent days, as you’re aware. I don’t have any update for you today, but as we get more information from our peacekeeping and field support counterparts, we'll certainly relay those on to you.”

When media pressed the UN for details again this past Monday, April 11, Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said, “…we hope to share more details with you as soon as we can. Obviously, you know, we’ve had preliminary work done. OIOS [the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services] will be going there on the ground. The difficulties… the logistical difficulties in the area also cannot be understated. From what I’m told, there’s electricity about two hours a day. It’s… The only communications are sat[elite] phones, so the communications with the teams on the ground are a little challenging as well. But we’re trying to harvest as much… as many numbers as we can for you and to try to bring a little clarity as to where we are on the number of allegations. […] As to the assessment, I don’t have any more numbers to share with you. I think what I said… and I hope I said it clearly… is that OIOS would be sending an expanded team of about 10 people to the area.”

A statement issued Wednesday in New York, USA, by AIDS-Free World said: “These exercises in evasion, after the cable had been received, are deeply disappointing. It’s clear that the culture of suppression of information is still alive and well at UN headquarters.

“AIDS-Free World wants to emphasise that many critical details are not in our possession. Only the UN can provide them. How many times have the same women and girls been interviewed, knowing the trauma that is induced by repetitive interviewing? What legal basis does the UN have to conduct these interviews? Of what, exactly, does any psycho-social counselling and medical assistance consist? How many of the women and girls so far interviewed once, twice, or three times by UN staff have received what Ms. Lute describes as “emergency” assistance? Have the local police authorities been informed? To what extent are they involved in the investigation of these criminal acts?”

•Photo shows UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

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