UN staff accused of raping children in Sudan

“The fledging government of southern Sudan is believed to be too concerned to maintain good relations with the UN to challenge the organisation. An unfinished copy of the internal Unicef report, seen by The Daily Telegraph, shows that the UN has been aware of the problem for more than a year.

“Evidence suggests that UNMIS staff may already be involved in sexual exploitation,” the report says. “UN cars have been staying into the early hours of the morning, as late as 6am, at a restaurant/disco called Kololo in Juba … adult informants reported seeing a UNMIS car stop along a main road in Juba to pick up three young girls.”

A preliminary report for a leading NGO in the region backed up these allegations, although the NGO was unwilling to be named for political reasons.

The report stated: “According to Kennedy Tombe, 23, a shoe shiner in Kony Konyo Market, the issue of young girls being picked up by UNMIS cars during late hours in Juba is common. One time, he stated, he was chatting with friends of his own in Kosti area near Konyo Konyo Market – they saw a UNMIS vehicle drop three girls off.

“One girl, Jackline Keji, was 18, the other two were 13 and 16. Keji, who was obviously frightened, said that they had spent the night with an UNMIS official. She said that they had sex with that UNMIS official.”

Rosett at Pajamas Media has some analysis here.
Jenny Hatch