As Moroccan peacekeepers are confined to their barracks in northern Ivory Coast pending a UN probe into sex abuse claims, proof is emerging that soldiers breached the code of conduct.

A full investigation has been launched both in Ivory Coast and at United Nations headquarters into the allegations centering on a 732-strong Moroccan contingent based in Bouake, the capital of the rebel zone of the country, split in half since a 2002 rebellion.

As a joint Moroccan and UN team investigates the affair, there is increasing evidence that soldiers had sex with local women, and according to some reports, even with girls aged less than 14.

"There was an internal investigation which proved the facts, but we are awaiting the results of the full investigation led by our internal affairs services, which will confirm the facts," UN spokeswoman Margarita Amodeo told AFP.

"There are minors among the victims concerned," she said.