THE leaders of Burkina Faso declared on Monday that the United Nations resident co-ordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak was “persona non grata.”

This came after an official UN report accused jihadi groups and government forces of abuses against children.

In a statement, the government accused Ms Flore-Smereczniak of participating in the preparation of the report — titled Children and Armed Conflict in Burkina Faso — which it says is “without evidence or supporting documentation” and that conveyed “serious and false information.”

The UN has been approached for comment.

The report, published in April, accused both jihadist groups and government forces of abuses against children, including their recruitment as soldiers, sexual abuses and attacks on hospitals and schools.

Covering the period between July 2022 and June 2024, it claims 2,483 grave violations against 2,255 children had been verified, including some children who were victims of multiple violations.

Burkina Faso, along with its neighbours Niger and Mali, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by jihadist groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Following military takeovers in all three nations in recent years, the new rulers have sought to forge a new path away from Western domination and to keep the benefits of the rich mineral resources in the region.