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Kinshasa: Peacekeepers from Pakistan and India smuggled gold and ivory -and gave arms to militias fighting in eastern Congo in return, the BBC alleged yesterday, saying it had new witness accounts refuting UN claims that no weapons transfers had taken place.
The UN has said it found some evidence of smuggling involving peacekeepers, but no exchanges involving arms.
The BBC first made similar allegations more than a year ago, and the UN launched an investigation into reports that its troops were involved.
A UN spokesman in Congo said yesterday that the BBC report did not appear to raise new allegations, and added that investigations are continuing into accusations of misconduct.
No proof
"It is clear that there were cases of unacceptable conduct by individuals, but there is no proof to establish the traffic mentioned," spokesman Kemal Saiki said. He said UN investigations had yet to turn up "irrefutable proof" of weapons or munitions transfers.
The BBC, returning to the region to follow up its original report, said it found witnesses who backed claims of UN-militia arms trades in the mining town of Mongbwalu and said weapons were given to militias there to guard the perimeters of gold mines and to secure the region.
A former militant, who was not named, also told the BBC he saw seven boxes of ammunition being brought from a UN camp to resupply a militia called the Nationalist and Integrationist Front during a battle. Former leaders of the militia jailed in Kinshasa also told the BBC they received weapons from UN peacekeepers.
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