Burkina Faso’s ruling military council on Monday declared the UN resident coordinator a persona non grata, blaming her for a UN report it says spread “dangerous and false” information about children and armed conflict in the country.
The government said Carol Flore-Smereczniak had a role in overseeing a document “compiled without objective sources or evidence,” according to comments carried by AFP. Authorities did not specify next steps but said the decision was tied to the report’s alleged inaccuracies.
Burkina Faso has faced escalating jihadist violence since 2015 from groups aligned with al-Qaeda’s JNIM and Islamic State, leaving thousands dead and displacing hundreds of thousands. The move adds to friction between the junta and international partners amid the worsening security crisis.