The probe was opened following allegations made by London-based
rights watchdog Amnesty International, which said the alleged incidents
took place on August 2 and 3 as Rwandan and Cameroonian peacekeepers
were conducting an operation in the capital, Bangui.
In an initial response, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was
"dismayed and disappointed" by the latest claims of sexual abuse by
peacekeepers, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New
York.
"Our evidence strongly suggests that a UN peacekeeper raped a young
girl and that other UN peacekeepers indiscriminately killed two
civilians," said Joanne Mariner, Senior Crisis Response Adviser at
Amnesty International.
The UN mission, known by its French acronym of MINUSCA, said through
its spokesman Hamadoun Toure that it was "not aware" of the allegations
but was taking the matter "very seriously."
"We have opened a probe," Toure told AFP, saying the mission would seek "established and verifiable proof."
Dujarric said the UN chief was taking the situation "very seriously" and was expected to issue a formal statement.
"No misconduct of this nature can be tolerated," he told
reporters. "This is clearly not only not normal, it is not acceptable.
The secretary general is considering the situation very seriously."
The two alleged incidents took place during an operation to arrest a
former rebel chief in the Muslim PK5 district of the capital on August 2
and 3 in which five people were killed, including a Cameroonian
peacekeeper.Dozens of people were also injured.
Amnesty said it had interviewed 15 witnesses immediately after both incidents, as well as the girl and members of her family.
A nurse who examined the girl found medical evidence consistent with sexual assault.
"The girl had been hiding in a bathroom during a house search at
approximately 2:00 am on August 2. A man allegedly wearing the blue
helmet and vest of the UN peacekeeping forces took her outside and raped
her behind a truck," a statement said.
"When I cried, he slapped me hard and put his hand over my mouth," she told Amnesty.
The search followed earlier deadly clashes in the area.
UN peacekeeping forces returned there the following day. Witnesses
told Amnesty they were not under any threat but began shooting
indiscriminately.
Amnesty said the soldiers killed Balla Hadji, 61, and his 16-year-old
son Souleimane. Balla was apparently shot in the back, while his son
was shot in the chest.
A neighbour who witnessed the killings said the soldiers appeared to "shoot at anything that moved."
Hadji's family said the UN troops did not help them to transport the
wounded man and boy to hospital. Rather than provide assistance,
witnesses said, the peacekeepers fired another round when the daughter
tried to cross the street to reach her injured relatives.
The UN mission in the poor restive country has been under a cloud
after claims that it dragged its feet following allegations that more
than a dozen French soldiers dispatched to restore order after a 2013
coup sexually abused children in exchange for food.
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