U.N. peacekeepers fled, used tear gas on South Sudan civilians, report says

JUBA, South Sudan – A new report says United Nations peacekeepers fled their posts when fighting erupted in South Sudan’s capital in July, then used tear gas on frightened civilians who sought shelter within the U.N. base.

Wednesday’s report by the U.S.-based Center for Civilians in Conflict adds to a growing list of incidents where peacekeepers have been accused of failing to carry out their mandate in South Sudan. Civil war erupted there in December 2013.

More than 12,000 U.N. peacekeepers are in this East African country. More than 200,000 civilians are sheltering in U.N. camps in the capital and elsewhere.

The report says peacekeepers largely remained confined to their base during and immediately after the July violence and struggled to patrol the capital for weeks afterward. Hundreds were killed in the fighting.