Indian peacekeepers under UN charter join the ranks of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in getting accused of taking bribes from rebels in Congo
Shekar Pundit
Jul. 14, 2007

If the accusations are right, it will be biggest shame for all of South Asia. First the Bangladeshis were accused. Then it was Pakistanis. And now the accusations have come to Indians.

According to media reports, the United Nations is investigating allegations that Indian peacekeepers in Congo traded food and even military intelligence with Rwandan Hutu rebels in return for gold, UN officials said on Friday.

The probe is one of a series, including a new investigation authorized by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, into the 17,000-strong UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as MONUC.

Kemal Saiki, spokesman for the UN mission in Congo, confirmed media reports of the allegations made against Indian peacekeepers in eastern Congo's troubled North Kivu province.

"We acknowledge there were accusations. Following these allegations, our procedures kicked in and an investigation by the Office for Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was launched," he said, in reference to the UN's investigative arm in New York.

Rights campaigners expressed concern the scandals could damage the reputation of UN peacekeeping missions. Human Rights Watch has accused the United Nations of stalling on earlier investigations, such as allegations that Pakistani troops smuggled arms for gold.

Jean-Marie Guehenno, the UN undersecretary-general for peacekeeping, said OIOS found no evidence of arms trafficking but said one Pakistani soldier might have been involved in gold smuggling.

Earlier this month, an OIOS report on similar allegations against Pakistani peacekeepers in Congo's northeastern Ituri district found the troops had indeed colluded with a local armed group to smuggle gold out of the country.

Another investigation into the alleged torture and killings of Ituri militia members by Bangladeshi UN soldiers is currently under way.

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