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Burkina Faso’s military government has expelled the UN’s top official in the country, Carol Flore-Smereczniak, after a UN report accused all sides in the country’s jihadist conflict of grave violations against children.
The report, released in March, documented more than 2,000 cases of child recruitment, killings, sexual violence, and abuse over a two-year period. It blamed Islamist insurgents, government soldiers, and civilian defence groups.
The junta, led by Capt Ibrahim Traoré since a 2022 coup, rejected the findings, saying it had not been consulted and that the report contained “unfounded allegations” without supporting evidence. It described Burkinabé forces as “valiant fighters.”
Flore-Smereczniak, a Mauritian national with more than 20 years of UN experience in conflict zones, was appointed in July 2024—18 months after her predecessor, Barbara Manzi, was also expelled.
The expulsion comes amid growing doubts about Traoré’s promise to quickly restore security. Since 2015, jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State have killed thousands and displaced millions. Violence has surged further: in the first half of 2025, al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM claimed more than 280 attacks, double the figure from the same period in 2024.
Rights groups accuse the army of targeting civilians and stifling political freedoms. The junta, which last year extended military rule for another five years, has turned away from France in favour of Russian support. Traoré, who has cultivated a pan-Africanist image, is expected to run for president in 2029.
The UN has not yet commented on the latest expulsion.
