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UN peacekeepers being investigated for corruption: BBC

Pakistani UN peacekeepers charged with disarming Congolese militia instead engaged in gold and weapons trafficking with militia members, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

The BBC said UN investigators looking into the allegations of trading in gold and weapons were obstructed and threatened, adding that their report was buried to avoid embarrassing Pakistan, a large contributor to UN missions around the world.

A UN official at UN headquarters in New York denied the report was buried, saying UN investigations always take time because of difficulties in the field and the need to conduct a comprehensive inquiry.

The UN Mission in Congo said in a statement it had been aware of the allegations of gold and weapons trafficking in 2004-05 in the Ituri district in northeastern Congo and the UN's internal watchdog launched an investigation in early 2006 soon after the allegations surfaced.

UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said there are two investigations under way.

One involves allegations that a peacekeeping contingent "was involved in mineral resource exploitation and weapons trading in the town of Mongwalu" in Ituri. The other involves allegations that the probe by the internal watchdog, the Office of Internal Oversight Services known as OIOS, was obstructed by peacekeepers, she said.

"Both investigations have gone on and they should be out shortly," Montas said at UN headquarters.

She said OIOS expects to complete its investigation into the gold and guns trafficking in about three weeks and its findings will then be sent to the Department of Peacekeeping and the UN Mission in Congo "for action." Under UN procedures, "once the OIOS report is released, member states will be provided with the report upon request," she said.

"The secretary-general looks forward to the early completion of the investigation," Montas said. "He will act on its findings expeditiously and transparently. If wrongdoing is found to have occurred, he will hold those responsible accountable. The secretary-general calls upon any concerned member states to do the same."

The report on the UN Mission in Congo's investigation into the alleged obstruction of the trafficking inquiry was received by the UN Peacekeeping Department in April, the UN official said. Earlier this month, the department asked OIOS for further details, the UN official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The UN Mission in Congo said it had confidence in the "vast majority" of its peacekeepers in Congo, some of whom have been accused of misconduct. It noted that more than 15,000 militia members have been disarmed in Ituri.

But the UN force also has been hit by scandal. The UN found in 2005 that peacekeepers in Congo had sex with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money.
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