'E disappear without a word': Women wey UN peacekeepers give belle and abandon

BBC News

7 days ago

Despite di scorching sun and stifling air, twelve-year-old Dimitri, no be im real name, hide inside im mother modest iron-sheet home for Birere, for informal settlement in Goma, for eastern Democratic Republic of di Congo.
"E no wan face di teasing of oda children over im curly hair and lighter skin," say im mama, Kamate Bibiche, tok to di BBC bifor Goma fall to di M23 rebels in January.
"E (Dimitri) na Russian, yet fit neva live to im true heritage," she tok.
Dimitri na reminder of one painful legacy of di United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in di Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).
Since im deployment for di end of 1999, di mission don face widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse wey involve women and young girls.
Kamate hesitate bifor e pull out one dusty box wey dem hide deep under her bed.
Inside na her only reminders of Yuriy, di man she say na Dimitri father. E contain one worn military hat and one old photograph of di two of dem togeda.
Kamate bin meet Yuriy on one night out and say she become attracted to im calm persona. Di pair get three month relationship.
"'E no be like oda men. E bin love and treat me really well. E be di best three months I ever get," Kamate recall.
Yuriy, like many peacekeepers dey interact wit local communities, bin reveal little about im actual background or true credentials.
"E be UN peacekeeper," Kamate tok.
"E no say I dey pregnant and promise to take care of us. But den e disappear without one word, as if we mean nothing to am," Kamate tok.
She tok say she no get way to reach her Russian partner, as di phone number wey e dey use don dey disconnected.
Abuse of power
Although Kamate bin enta into di relationship willingly, under one United Nations resolution adopted by di general assembly in 2005, e still dey considered exploitative.
Dis policy recognises di power imbalance between UN personnel and vulnerable local populations, wey fit make any sexual relationships exploitative, even if dey appear consensual.
Di resolution dey urge member states to provide justice for victims by holding perpetrators accountable once dem send dem back to dia home kontries.
Wen ask about di whereabouts of Kamate boyfriend, MONUSCO spokesperson Ndeye Lo tell BBC Russian say dem no get contingent troops in di mission, say "only a few police officers and staff officers dey work for di headquarters".
She say di mission no fit give access to di records of specific Russian officers wey bin serve in 2012 "for legal reasons".
Di BBC bin attempt to track down Yuriy, including on Russian language social media, but no fit find am.
Serious allegations
Eastern DR Congo don experience decades of conflict as govment forces fight off rebel groups wey wan control di mineral rich region.
In January, Goma bin fall to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. About 7,000 pipo die in di fight as di militants take over di city, according to DR Congo prime minister.
Di United Nations estimate say over eight million pipo dey currently displaced, wey make am one of di world largest internal displacement crises.
Many pipo dey struggle wit extreme poverty and lack of access to basic needs such as food, water, and shelter, dey expose women and girls particularly vulnerable to exploitation.
Wen di BBC bin tok to Maria Masika (no be her real name), she bin just arrive in Goma from di embattled town of Sake, north of di city.
Di goment soldiers bin don dey battle rebel fighters but don eventually overrun. Maria dey visibly shake - still in shock from di intense gunfire wey she bin witness.
'E bin know say I be minor'
Masika bin don travel to Goma to see her 8-year-old daughter Queen, wey dey live wit her grandmother in di city for safety.
At just 17, Masika don involve wit a South African peacekeeper wey dey stationed near di Minugugi base.
"E sabi say I be minor," she tok.
"E bin rent one house near di base and visit me whenever d dey off duty."
Afta Queen birth, di peacekeeper become unreachable, leave Masika to fend for herself.
Desperate to provide for her daughter, she tok say she now dey risk her life to make a living as sex worker in Sake.
Wen dem dey asked about relationships between UN peacekeepers and locals, di South African National Defence Force say dem take di allegations seriously.
"On-site military court sessions bin hold in di mission area where credible evidence of sexual exploitation and abuse dey, including oda disciplinary infractions," di force tok-tok pesin Siphiwe Dlamini tok.
For di Congolese Family for Joy, wey be safe house for abandoned and orphaned children, at least five children dey reported to don dey fathered by MONUSCO troops and later abandon by dia mothers.
"Wit our partners, we dey provide support to around 200 women and young girls wey don suffer sexual exploitation by MONUSCO personnel," Nelly Kyeya, di centre director tok.
"Many of dem dey face severe stigma from dia communities sake of dem settle for survival prostitution. Diis ostracization often dey drive dem to abandon dia children," she tok
Sandrine Lusamaba, di national coordinator of Sofepadi, one women's rights group in di DRC, tell di BBC say di lack of direct authority by di UN to prosecute sexual exploitation perpetrators mean say many dey waka free.
She tok say many member states no dey cooperate to prosecute dia soldiers.
One UN report wey dey released in March 2024 indicate rise in allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation wey link to dia peacekeeping and special political missions.
One hundred allegations dey reported in peacekeeping and special political missions in 2023, increase from di 79 wey dey reported in 2022. Dis incidents involve 143 victims, including115 adults and 28 children according to di United Nations.
Notably, MONUSCO - including di former United Nations Organization Mission in di Democratic Republic of di Congo (MONUC) - account for 66 of di 100 allegations, wey highlight concerns about accountability within di mission.
Zero-tolerance policy
"Wen information about possible allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse dey received, di information dey assessed and concrete action dey taken," MONUSCO tok-tok pesin Ndeye Lo tok.
"Any personnel against wey one allegation dey substantiated go dey red flagged in our system barred from further employment (civilian) or deployment (uniformed)."
Di mission say dem dey empower alleged victims and dia children through di Victim Assistance Trust Fund by providing skills training and education.
But many women and young girls like Kamate and Maria say dem no know about available support while odas remain too traumatised to seek justice.