Un Rights Chief Arrives İn Central African Republic

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN's high commissioner for human rights, arrived in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), for a four-day visit Tuesday.



During his visit, al-Hussein will meet CAR officials and religious leaders to discuss human rights violations said to have occurred in the country, which in recent years has been plagued by recurring sectarian conflict.



He is also expected to address recent allegations of human rights and sexual abuse committed by UN peacekeeping forces deployed in CAR.



Amnesty International recently accused members of MINUSCA, the UN's peacekeeping force in CAR, of having raped a 12-year-old girl and killing two civilians during an operation in capital Bangui early last month. 



In July of last year, a Paris prosecutor launched a formal investigation into an earlier raft of allegations that at least 14 French soldiers deployed in CAR had sexually abused Central African children.



MINUSCA currently has over 12,000 troops from 40 countries deployed in the poverty-stricken country. Last month, it dismissed 20 peacekeepers accused of using excessive force against civilians. - Orta Afrika Cumhuriyeti