The United Nations and its agencies grossly mishandled allegations of child sexual abuse by international peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, an independent review panel said in a report released on Thursday. At least 13 French soldiers, two from Equatorial Guinea and three Chadian troops were implicated in the alleged abuse of children between December 2013 and June 2014, according to a UN report leaked in April.
The peacekeepers were not under United Nations command at the time, but the UN has come under fire for its handling of the allegations, including its investigation of the UN official who alerted French authorities to the charges.