Bangui, Central African Republic: The UN mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA) on Thursday announced seven new claims of sex abuse by UN peacekeepers, including five against minors, days after fresh allegations involving French and EU troops.

A MINUSCA statement said it had ‘identified seven new possible victims of sexual exploitation and abuse in Bambari,’ a city in the country’s central region.

In a response to such claims, the United Nations also said Thursday that it would repatriate 120 peacekeepers from the Republic of Congo.

The ‘repatriation will occur after an investigation is carried out; in the meantime the soldiers will be confined to barracks,’ MINUSCA said, noting the claims date from September to December last year.

International peacekeeping efforts in strife-torn Central African Republic have been undermined by a spate of sex abuse claims.

Only last week, the UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein reported new cases involving French and EU troops said to date back to 2014 but to have only come to light in recent weeks.