US EditionBurkina Faso junta declares UN coordinator persona non grata over child rights report
Burkina Faso's junta rejected a UN report alleging child rights abuses by state forces and militias, citing lack of evidence and accusing the UN coordinator of bias.
- On Monday, Burkina Faso's military government declared United Nations official Carol Flore-Smereczniak unwelcome following a U.N. report that accused both militant groups and state forces of committing violations against children's rights.
- The decision came after Flore-Smereczniak's involvement in co-leading a UN report on violations against children during the conflict in Burkina Faso, which the government dismissed as unfounded and inaccurate.
- The report covered July 2022 to June 2024 and verified 2,483 grave violations against 2,255 children, including recruitment and sexual abuse by both jihadi and government forces.
- The UN Secretary-General’s office expressed its regret over Burkina Faso’s decision, clarified that the usual grounds for expelling diplomats do not extend to UN representatives, and stated that only the Secretary-General holds the authority to approve any removal of UN personnel.
- Burkina Faso’s junta’s expulsion of Flore-Smereczniak signals worsening relations amid regional instability and ongoing insurgencies challenged by jihadist violence and governance issues.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Burkina Faso Expels Top UN Official Following Child Rights Report - teleSUR English
Ouagadougou, August 19, 2025 – Burkina Faso’s military government has declared the United Nations’ top representative in the country “persona non grata” after a UN report accused Burkinabe forces of committing violations against children during operations against armed groups. RELATED: UN warns food aid cuts hit 500k in Cameroon The junta accused UN resident humanitarian coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak of authoring the March report, which it…
Burkina Faso kicks out U.N. coordinator over 'false' report
In a statement, the government accused Carol Flore-Smereczniak of participating in the preparation of the report — titled Children and Armed Conflict in Burkina Faso — which it says is “without evidence or supporting documentation” and that conveyed “serious and false information”
The resident coordinator of the United Nations system in Burkina Faso, Carol Flore-Smereczniak, was declared "persona non grata" in the country. In a statement issued on Monday, 18 August, the government of Burkina Faso expressed its outrage at the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on "Children and armed conflict in Burkina Faso", considering that it had been prepared without consultation with the national authorities and tha…
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