UN mission in S Sudan probing sexual assault charges against Nepalese peacekeepers; Nepal Army orders probe

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMSS) has said that a teenage girl was touched inappropriately by a member of the Nepalese contingent in exchange for money and the matter is being probed as a case of sexual assault.

The Nepal Army unit in South Sudan also formed a board of inquiry to look into the allegations against its peacekeepers deployed in the African country.

On April 13, four teenagers were caught trying to enter the United Nations base in Aweil through the perimeter fence. It was alleged that one of the teenage girls had been "touched inappropriately" by a member of the Nepali contingent in exchange for money, the UNMISS said in a statement.

"There was no allegation made of rape," the statement said.

The UNMISS deployed a Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Immediate Response Team (IRT) to Aweil to gather information and preserve evidence prior to the launch of an investigation by Nepal.

In Kathmandu, Nepali Army spokesperson Brig Gen Gokul Bhandari in a statement today said, "a board of inquiry comprising our officials in South Sudan has been investigating into the case of alleged sexual exploitation and abuse that took place on April 13."