On Monday, August 18, 2025, Burkina Faso’s ruling junta has declared United Nations resident coordinator, Carol Flore-Smereczniak, persona non grata, following the publication of a UN report alleging widespread child rights abuses in the country.
The April report, covering July 2022 to June 2024, documented 2,483 grave violations against 2,255 children, including recruitment as child soldiers, sexual abuse, and attacks on hospitals and schools.
The junta dismissed the findings as “false” and “unsupported,” accusing Flore-Smereczniak of involvement in preparing the document. Appointed in July 2024 by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, she also served as humanitarian coordinator for the country. The UN has yet to comment on the expulsion.
The decision underscores worsening tensions between Burkina Faso’s junta and international institutions. Alongside Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso has endured a decade-long insurgency by jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State. Since military takeovers in all three countries, juntas have expelled French forces and relied increasingly on Russian mercenary support, yet violence has surged, with record numbers of attacks and civilian deaths. Rights groups have also accused government-backed militias of atrocities, fuelling concerns over accountability as the security crisis in the Sahel deepens.