The South African National Defense Force (SANDF) has announced that it would withdraw eight soldiers facing charges of serious misconduct related to sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"Due to the serious nature of the allegations, the SANDF took a decision to recall the implicated soldiers back to South Africa to answer to the allegations and to give account of events that transpired," the military stated.
UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said earlier this week that MONUSCO had received reports that the soldiers had socialized after curfew ended at a bar outside the city, which is known to be a place where sexual services are provided.
The UN spokesman added that the accused peacekeepers had been suspended and taken into custody pending further investigation.
In response, the South African army, said it was "unfortunate" that Pretoria had not been directly briefed on the allegations but had found out about them from the news.
"It is unfortunate that the RSA, as a Troop Contributing Country was not informed of these allegations as is normal procedure bur first learnt about such in the media," the statement said.
In addition to South Africa's participation as peacekeepers under MONUSCO, the Southern African Development Community, of which Pretoria is a member, in August approved the deployment of troops to DR Congo.
MONUSCO has been operating in the DRC for over two decades, striving to bolster the government's efforts to restore security in the eastern part of the country, where rebel groups have created instability.
As for the UN mission, extended by one year last December, according to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, is entering "its final phase" and soon will be terminated. Furthermore, in late September, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi urged his government to hasten the withdrawal so that it could begin at the end of the year.