MONUC TAKES ACTION ON SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 001484 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2015 TAGS: PGOV KPKO PREL PHUM CG SUBJECT: MONUC TAKES ACTION ON SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS INVOLVING CIVIL POLICE Classified By: Poloff Gons Nachman for Reasons 1.4 B and D ¶1. (C) Nigerian Civil Police (CivPol) officers under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct remain confined to their barracks in Kinshasa pending official results of a board of inquiry, an official at MONUC's Office for Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (ASEA) reported. According to this official, MONUC started an investigation into serious allegations of sexual misconduct, including prostitution and sex with minors, in mid-July, as soon as the information came to the attention of the Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG). Following the conclusion of the investigation at the end of August, MONUC opened a board of inquiry to review the results and recommend action. Although preliminary findings implicated ten members of the 120-man Nigerian CivPol contingent in Kinshasa, MONUC confined the entire contingent to their barracks pending a final decision by the board of inquiry. ¶2. (C) The ASEA official said, despite press reports that the GON had decided preemptively to recall the entire Nigerian CivPol contingent, the Nigerian contingent remains in Kinshasa. MONUC's board of inquiry is expected to finish its proceedings within the next two days and to forward the results to DPKO in New York for action. The ASEA official emphasized that MONUC has a "zero-tolerance" policy regarding cases of sexual misconduct and that decisive action against any offenders. We understand from MONUC sources that Nigeria intends to repatriate the entire contingent (and not only those directly implicated). Comment -------------- ¶3. (C) MONUC has handled the allegations against Nigerian CivPol officers in a proactive and decisive manner. It opened an investigation immediately after the allegations came to its attention, and it confined the entire contingent to its barracks once the preliminary investigation substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct. MONUC officials intend to repatriate offenders as soon as the final results of the investigation are confirmed and to continue efforts to educate and inform civilian and military staff of its "zero-tolerance" policy on sexual misconduct. MEECE