DHAKA: Three Congolese peacekeepers accused of sex abuse in the Central African Republic have appeared before a tribunal in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The three men - from the UN’s MINUSCA peacekeeping mission - are the first troops to be prosecuted in the scandal, which has seen more than 100 victims come forward with accounts of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers and French forces.

The tribunal is being held in Ndolo, a military prison north of the capital, Kinshasa.

‘We want absolute transparency in this trial,’ Alexis Thambwe Mwamba, the country’s justice minister, told the media, adding that ‘a few individuals cannot discredit our army’.

‘Sergeant Jackson Kikola is being prosecuted for raping a (young girl) of 17 and for not following orders,’ said public prosecutor Lieutenant Mposhi Ngoy, reading the indictments.

Sergeant Major Kibeka Mulamba Djuma faces similar charges, while Sergeant Major Nsasi Ndazu was charged with disobeying orders and attempted rape.

All three pleaded not guilty.

BDST: 2240 HRS, APR 05, 2016
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