KINSHASA, April 11 (Xinhuanet) -- The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) confirmed Monday that two of its civilian staff members had been suspended for alleged sexual relations with local women.

    Police in the capital Kinshasa searched the residence of a UN employee on April 8, discovering 11 Congolese women together with two UN civilian staff.

    The two were arrested on suspicion of having sex with the women but were later released at the request of security officials of the UN mission.

    A statement by the UN mission has said no charges had been made against the two UN workers.

    The statement did not specify the relations between the two staff and the 11 women but reiterated its "zero tolerance" of sexual misconduct of the UN staff in the African country.

    The two UN workers will be suspended till the completion of an inquiry to determine whether they violated the UN code of conduct,the statement said.

    The UN mission, consisting of more than 16,500 military, policeand civilian personnel, has been deployed particularly in the DRC's volatile east to help with disarmament and security in the political transition since the DRC's 1998-2003 civil war.

    Reports came out last year on sex scandals of the UN peacekeeping forces here and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has severely accused such acts. The mission now has a policy that forbids sex with locals. Enditem