Martelly: Probe alleged assault of teen by UN peacekeepers

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC - President Michel Martelly has described as an “act that revolts the national conscience” allegations that a Haitian teenager had been sexually assaulted by five United Nations peacekeepers from Uruguay.



A statement from the Office of the President said that Martelly is awaiting a detailed report on the alleged incident and has asked Haitian officials to meet with U.N. officials to prevent such acts from happening again.



Uruguay, stung by a video on the internet purporting to show men having sex with a teenage boy, has recalled five of its peacekeepers from Haiti.



Uruguay has also relieved the head of the country’s naval contingent in Haiti, as result of the alleged incident.



In a statement, the Uruguayan military said it was taking "severe and exemplary measures" to deal with the allegations, and that it would apply the maximum penalty if the accused men were found guilty.



Uruguay has 1,200 military personnel in Haiti as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti.



A magistrate in Port-Salut, the southwestern coastal town, where the incident is alleged to have occurred, is reported to have gathered testimony from the alleged victim and his mother and filed it in court.



Residents plan to demonstrate against the U.N. later today, in support of the alleged victim and his family and to call for the ouster of the peacekeepers there.



Martelly, who has “vigourously condemned’ the alleged incident, has been calling for a reduced for a reduced U.N. presence in Haiti, with troops focusing more on development instead of security matters.



A MINUSTAH spokeswoman said that it had immediately ordered an investigation by its military police.



"The United Nations has a zero tolerance policy towards misbehaviour, or sexual exploitation or abuse. We have taken these allegations extremely seriously, and if the allegations are proved, the perpetrators must be brought to justice,” she said.



Last year, there were widespread protests after Nepalese peacekeepers were accused of being responsible for a cholera outbreak, which may have killed as many as 6,000 people in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.