The Nepal Army has said it has zero tolerance to sexual exploitations and abuse, reiterating that the investigation into the alleged sexual assault by its troopers in South Sudan is under way.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Directorate of Public Relations of the National Defence Force said an incident was reported on April 13 that four teenagers were caught trying to enter the United Nations base in Aweil in Sector West of the country. “A board of inquiry has been formed in close coordination with United Nations Mission in South Sudan headquarters,” reads the statement. “Anybody found guilty in the investigation will be booked as per the existing Army Act.”

It is the duty of the troop contributing country to investigate into any sorts of charges against its contingent. The UN has about 15,000 peacekeepers in South Sudan, whose civil war is well into a fifth year. As many as 1,747 Nepal Army personnel have been mobilised in the country. Nepal with over 4,800 blue helmets is the sixth largest contributor in the peacekeeping mission worldwide.

The UNMISS headquarters has claimed that it was alleged that “one of the teenaged girls had been touched inappropriately by a member of the Nepali contingent in exchange for money”.