A French judicial source on Thursday in Paris confirmed that some of the French soldiers alleged to have sexually abused children in Central African Republic while on peacekeeping duties have been identified.
The source said the matter came to light earlier in the week, when Britain’s Guardian newspaper said it had acquired UN report that raised allegations of the rape of young boys by French troops.
The report said 14 soldiers were involved in the alleged abuse, which took place between December 2013 and June 2014.
The judicial source said soldiers of other nationalities were also implicated by the report, as subsequent French inquiries had identified some of them.
He said the case risked damaging the reputation of France’s military operations in Africa.
President Francois Hollande has been a strong advocate of using French military muscle to help secure peace in former colonies such as Central African Republic or Mali.
Read more: http://newsrescue.com/un-report-14-french-soldiers-raped-boys-in-car/#ixzz3Z287k8zY
