UN peacekeepers being investigated for corruption: BBC
AP
May 25, 2007
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.
