Burkina Faso Junta Expels UN Coordinator Over Child Rights Report

Burkina Faso's military junta declared United Nations regional coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak persona non grata following a UN report accusing both jihadi groups and government forces of abuses against children, including recruitment as child soldiers and attacks on hospitals and schools. The government rejected the report, titled "Children and Armed Conflict in Burkina Faso," as baseless and containing false information without supporting investigations or court rulings, further claiming they were not involved in its preparation nor informed prior to its publication. The report covered violations between July 2022 and June 2024, verifying 2,483 grave violations against 2,255 children, against a backdrop of worsening violence linked to Islamist militants affiliated with Al Qaeda and Islamic State. The UN had appointed Flore-Smereczniak with Burkina Faso's approval in July 2024, but the junta's rejection reflects broader tensions amid ongoing insurgency and recent military coups in the Sahel region, where governments have expelled French forces and sought Russian mercenary assistance. UN officials had previously raised alarm over increasing civilian deaths and human rights abuses in the region. No immediate response was available from UN representatives in Geneva and New York following the expulsion.