CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - A US-based advocacy group says 98 girls in Central African Republic reported they were sexually abused by international peacekeepers.

The group reports three girls told United Nations (UN) staff they were tied up, undressed and forced to have sex with a dog by a French military commander in 2014.

According to Aids-Free World's Code Blue Campaign, the three girls told a UN human rights officer that a fourth girl tied up with them later died of an unknown disease. The Blue Campaign is aimed ending sexual abuse and exploitation.

The group said the information it received is in the hands of senior UN officials. The information includes the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in another part of the country on Monday.

The UN has been in the spotlight for months over allegations of child rape and other sexual abuses by its peacekeepers, especially those based in Central African Republic.