Paris, May 9 (RHC)-- France has opened a formal judicial investigation into the reports that its army soldiers raped children during their peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR).

According to French prosecutor's office, the decision will allow independent magistrates to enter the case and probe the accusations. Meanwhile, France's Defense Ministry vowed to take "all the measures necessary for the truth to come out."

The ministry said it had the Paris prosecutor start a preliminary investigation into the case when it first received the sexual harassment reports around nine months ago, but decided to upgrade the investigation to a formal judicial inquiry amid outcries from international rights groups.

The decision came just after the CAR's Justice Minister Aristide Sokambi lashed out at Paris and the United Nations for not keeping the African country informed about the incident.