CAR child rape cases fizzle out

Prosecutors in Paris have called for the case to be dropped against French soldiers facing allegations they raped children in the Central African Republic while on a peacekeeping mission. France opened a first probe into the allegations in 2014. A report on the allAfrica site notes that the French soldiers were deployed in the CAR to restore security after months of violence between rebels and militia fighters. The prosecutor believes sexual abuse may have occurred during the 2013-2014 deployment, but ‘differences in the testimonies’ meant it was not possible to establish guilt among the French troops, a source close to the case is quoted as saying.