James E. Archibong and Chidi Julius Lloyd
One of the aspirations of the United Nations (UN) is the protection and promotion of human rights. In fulfillment of that mandate, UN peacekeeping mission was created to protect civilians in war-ravaged countries, apparently to assist them transit to peace. UN peacekeepers have been entangled in human rights violations especially sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) against persons under their protection. The resort to sexual predation by UN peacekeeping forces in Africa is a betrayal of their duty to protect. However, the worst treachery is the UN’s failure to stop the violence or hold the perpetrators accountable. Many of the rape victims informed the UN, but never got any help. The perpetrators enjoy immunity from prosecution. This paper calls for reforms of the UN system. It argues that SEA now constitutes a war crime under international law and peacekeepers cannot claim, or be conferred with, immunity from prosecution. It recommends the creation of specials court to try peacekeepers indicted for the crimes.