French investigating magistrates have closed a probe into allegations that French soldiers raped children in the Central African Republic while on a peacekeeping mission, judicial sources told AFP on Monday. They were first reported by the British left-of-centre daily The Guardian in April 2015, tarnishing the reputation of the French military. French investigators travelled to CAR in 2015 and 2016 to question the children concerned. France wound up the Sangaris mission in 2016 after three years, leaving just a rump force in the country as backup to a UN peacekeeping force. Reports of abuse involving members of various peacekeeping contingents in CAR and other African countries have also emerged.

Source: Punch January 15, 2018 11:37 UTC