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| United Nations' Resident Coordinator, Carol Flore-Smereczniak |
The military junta ruling Burkina Faso has declared the United Nations' resident coordinator, Carol Flore-Smereczniak, "persona non grata," ordering her to leave the country in a move that signals a deepening rift between the West African nation and the international body. The expulsion comes as a direct response to a recent UN report that alleges grave violations against children by both jihadi groups and government forces.
The Burkinabe government, in an official statement, accused Flore-Smereczniak of being complicit in the preparation of a UN report titled "Children and Armed Conflict in Burkina Faso." The government denounced the report as containing "baseless assertions and falsehoods" and claimed it was compiled "without evidence or supporting documentation." According to authorities, they were not consulted or informed about the report's conclusions prior to its publication in April.
The report, which covers the period from July 2022 to June 2024, paints a grim picture of the conflict's impact on children. It documented 2,483 grave violations against 2,255 children, including recruitment as child soldiers, sexual abuses, and attacks on schools and hospitals. While the report attributed 65 percent of these violations to armed groups like Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), it also stated that the country's Defence and Security Forces and their civilian auxiliaries were responsible for 20 percent of the violations.
The government’s response marks an escalation of a pre-existing strain in relations. The junta, which came to power in a coup in September 2022, has repeatedly pushed back against what it perceives as external interference and criticism of its counter-terrorism efforts. The UN has noted in its reports a worsening security situation in the Sahel region since the juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger took power and expelled French forces, turning to Russian mercenary units instead.
A spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General stated that the diplomatic principle of "persona non grata" does not apply to UN officials. The UN has reiterated its commitment to working with Burkina Faso while underscoring its role in documenting and advocating for the protection of civilians, particularly children, in conflict zones.
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