Burkina Faso Junta Expels Top UN Official Over Child Rights Report
Burkina Faso’s military junta has expelled the United Nations’ top representative in the country, Carol Flore-Smereczniak, after a UN report detailed grave violations against children in the country’s jihadist conflict.
Flore-Smereczniak, who was appointed in July 2024, was declared persona non grata over her role in drafting the March report, which documented more than 2,000 cases of child recruitment, killings, sexual violence and other abuses between 2021 and 2023. The report accused Islamist militants, government troops, and pro-government civilian defence groups of responsibility.
The junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, dismissed the findings as unfounded, saying it had not been consulted and that the report offered no “documentation or court rulings” to back up the alleged violations by what it called “valiant Burkinabé fighters.”
This is the second time in less than three years that a UN envoy has been expelled from the country. In December 2022, Traoré’s government ordered out Italian diplomat Barbara Manzi after she highlighted how insecurity was shutting down schools and health facilities.
Burkina Faso has been gripped by violence since 2015, when jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State launched an insurgency that has left thousands dead and displaced millions. The worsening crisis has triggered two coups in 2022, with Traoré seizing power in September that year and vowing to restore security within months.
But despite promises of swift progress, attacks have surged. JNIM, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, claimed more than 280 attacks in the first half of 2025—double the number in the same period last year, according to BBC-verified data.
The junta has increasingly distanced itself from former colonial power France, instead turning to Russia for military and political support. Rights groups, however, accuse the army of committing atrocities against civilians and of suppressing dissent, including restrictions on political activity and press freedoms.
In 2023, the junta extended its rule by five years, allowing Captain Traoré to remain in power until at least 2029, when he will also be eligible to run for president.
The UN has not yet commented on Flore-Smereczniak’s expulsion, though Secretary-General António Guterres previously expressed regret when her predecessor was expelled, stressing the UN’s readiness to continue supporting the Burkinabé people.
