First Trial Begins in Case of UN Peacekeepers Sex Abuse

The first soldiers to face justice in a huge sex abuse scandal that has rocked the United Nations and France went on trial Monday in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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The French news agency AFP reported that three Congolese men from the U.N.'s MINUSCA peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic appeared before the tribunal in Ndolo, a military prison north of the capital Kinshasa.

"Sergeant Jackson Kikola is being prosecuted for raping a (young girl) of 17 and for not following orders," said public prosecutor Lieutenant Mposhi Ngoy, reading the indictments.

Sgt. Maj. Kibeka Mulamba Djuma faces similar charges, while Sgt. Maj. Nsasi Ndazu was charged with disobeying orders and attempted rape. All three pleaded not guilty.

They are the first troops to be prosecuted in the scandal, which has seen more than 100 victims come forward with horrifying accounts of sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers and French forces.

The scandal also involved a French commander as part of his country’s intervention force in the Central African Republic, dubbed "Sangaris," who is accused of forcing at least three girls to have sex with a dog, AIDS-Free World, a civil society group, said last week in a report.

The girls were reportedly paid US$9 after performing the act.

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It was not clear if the French commander and other troops involved in the abuse will face trial. French authorities said an initial investigation has been opened in France to look into the allegations.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "shocked to the core" by the allegations against the U.N. and French troops in the African country.

Also the U.N. said last week its investigators have identified 108 alleged new victims, "the vast majority" of them underage girls who were raped, sexually abused or exploited by foreign troops.

Another 18 soldiers from DR Congo accused of rape or attempted rape of the civilians they were meant to be protecting during a peacekeeping mission in CAR were also present in the court Tuesday.

But Venance Kalenga, who attended the hearing as an observer for Congolese human rights charity ACAJ, said "the absence of victims constitutes a major obstacle in the demonstration of truth."

Under U.N. rules, the responsibility for investigating and prosecuting peacekeeper sexual abuse lies with the countries that contribute the troops and police to the peace missions.