Allegations of sexual abuse against former Sudanese Unamid staff member

Last week Unamid received information that one of its former Sudanese staff members is under investigation for sexual abuse. The victim has been referred to UN country team partners for immediate assistance. In May a Sudanese Unamid staff member was convicted for raping a 13 years old girl.

The staff member that has been convicted over two months ago was arrested and charged in November 2017. Unamid assisted the relevant Sudanese authorities and immediately took steps to fully collaborate with the investigation, consistent with the UN Secretary-General’s policy to achieve visible and measurable improvements in the way the United Nations prevents and responds to allegations of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. Furthermore, the Mission, in collaboration with UN country team partners, ensured that the victim received psycho-social care.

Justice

Unamid Joint Special Representative Jeremiah Mamabolo strongly condemns these actions and reiterates his personal and institutional commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of the victim and ensuring that justice is done.

“The Mission condemns, in the strongest possible terms, any instance of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse committed by UN personnel in the Darfur region. We are guided by a zero-tolerance policy on such abhorrent incidents and will not tolerate or condone the perpetration of such acts. Unamid's commitment to this policy will be demonstrated by the thorough investigation and action the United Nations will take against the alleged offender, which is necessary to retain continued confidence of the Darfurians in our mission,” he said.

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