Annan Signals Shake-Up of Congo Peacekeeping
U.N. Acts After Reports of Sexual Misconduct

By David Scott
March 4, 2005
ABC News
Original Source: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/UnitedNations/story?id=552805

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan today signaled his intention to shake up the leadership of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the wake of an ABC News investigation of sexual misconduct by U.N. personnel. 
After Annan met today with William Lacy Swing, the head of the U.N. Congo operation, a U.N. spokesman said that once the situation in the Congo mission stabilized, the secretary general would institute an orderly transition to a new Special Representative, the mission's top post. 
Annan stopped short of announcing Swing's resignation, which had been expected by many officials at the U.N. and the U.S. State Department. 
Hundreds of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse have been made by Congolese civilians against U.N. peacekeepers in violation of the U.N.'s Code of Conduct. 
In a January interview in the Congolese capital Kinshasa with ABC News' chief investigative correspondent, Brian Ross, Swing acknowledged he had not done enough to prevent sexual misconduct by his personnel, but insisted the situation would swiftly be cleaned up. 
Today, Swing declined to comment to ABC News as he left the U.N. headquarters building. 
ABC News' David Scott contributed to this report.