Burkina Faso expells UN envoy in the country

Burkina Faso’s junta has expelled the United Nations’ top official in the country, Carol Flore-Smereczniak, after a UN report accused Islamist militants, government troops, and civilian defence forces of abusing children in the ongoing conflict.

The government declared the Mauritian diplomat persona non grata, saying the findings covering 2,000 cases of recruitment, killings and sexual violence between 2021 and 2023 were based on “unfounded allegations” and lacked evidence.

Flore-Smereczniak, appointed in July 2024, is the second UN representative expelled since Capt. Ibrahim Traoré seized power in September 2022. Her predecessor, Barbara Manzi, was forced out months after raising alarm over the humanitarian crisis.

Since 2015, jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State have escalated attacks, leaving thousands dead and millions displaced. Rights groups accuse the army of targeting civilians, while the junta aligned with Russia after cutting ties with France has extended military rule until 2030.

The UN has not yet officially commented on the expulsion.

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. Currently made up of 193 Member States the UN and its Work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter .

The UN has evolved over the years to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

 Meanwhile  one thing has stayed the same as it remains the one place on Earth where all the world’s nations can gather together, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity.