By: Natasha Archary

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has recalled deployed soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo due to serious allegations of sexual misconduct.
In a statement issued on Sunday, 15 October, SANDF received a report by the United Nations containing allegations of serious acts of ill-discipline and misconduct by members of the SANDF deployed under the United Nations Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
“It is alleged in the UN report that on Sunday, 01 October eight SANDF soldiers deployed in Beni were apprehended by the United Nations Military Police (UN MP) for being in direct breach of the curfew time and other regulations related to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA).
Due to the serious nature of the allegations, the SANDF took a decision to recall the implicated soldiers back to South Africa to answer to the allegations and to give account of events that transpired on Sunday, 01 October 2023 in Beni.
Furthermore, National Investigating Officers (NFOs) have been dispatched to the MONUSCO deployment area to conduct a formal investigation.
Upon completion of the investigation, the SANDF will pronounce itself.”
MONUSCO says the SANDF soldiers were allegedly fraternizing after curfew hours, at an out-of-bounds bar known to be a place where transactional sex occurs.
The SANDF soldiers are accused of physically assaulting UN MP officers as they moved to detain them.
Department of Defence Media Statement || Sunday, 15 October 2023 || The SA National Defence Force deployed soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo due to serious allegations of misconduct an#SANDF#DCCMediaLiaison pic.twitter.com/beW8qWiUEh
— SA National Defence Force (@SANDF_ZA) October 15, 2023
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