UN whistleblower quits over peacekeeper rape ‘impunity’

The resignation of Anders Kompass, director of field operations for the UN human rights office (OHCHR), was confirmed by a UN spokesman.

The spokesman said the move had been known about for several weeks and would take effect at the end of August, but he did not give a reason for Kompass’ departure.

Speaking to humanitarian news agency IRIN, Kompass said he was leaving because of “the complete impunity for those who have been found to have, in various degrees, abused their authority, together with the unwillingness of the hierarchy to express any regrets for the way they acted towards me”.

“This makes it impossible for me to keep working there,” he said.In July 2014, Kompass leaked a confidential UN report on the sexual abuse of children by peacekeepers in the Central African Republic to prosecutors in France — the former colonial power has a force there — claiming the UN was taking too long to act.

A study by independent experts released in December 2015 found “gross institutional failure” by the UN in the way it responded to the abuse allegations.

It reported that children as young as nine were encouraged to take part in sex in exchange for food or money in the war-torn CAR.