Burkina Faso has expelled United Nations regional coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak after a U.N. report alleged violations against children in the country, a government spokesperson said on Monday.
Authorities said they were not consulted during the preparation of the study, titled Children and Armed Conflict in Burkina Faso, nor informed of its conclusions before publication. The government accused the report of making “baseless assertions” without citing investigations or court rulings.
The U.N. expressed regret over the decision. “The Organization is accorded privileges and immunities, including the right for its staff members to remain in Burkina Faso in order to perform their functions,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
Flore-Smereczniak, who was forced to leave, was appointed last year and has over two decades of experience in development, security and humanitarian operations, according to the U.N.
The expulsion comes amid worsening violence in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel, where militant groups linked to Al Qaeda have fought governments for more than a decade. A series of coups between 2020 and 2023 deepened instability across the region.
The U.N. has previously condemned killings, abductions and the recruitment of child soldiers in the Sahel conflict. Dujarric reaffirmed that the organisation would continue to engage with Burkina Faso’s authorities to support the country and its people.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party has won the Armenian elections, picking up nearly half the vote. With a majority in p...
Iran says the first wave of attacks on Israel since April's ceasefire has ended, but warned of further strikes if Israel continues military action in ...
Uzbekistan and Russia have agreed to deepen cooperation in agriculture, energy and food security following high-level meetings held during the St Pete...
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the U.S. would bear direct responsibility for any escalation in West Asia a...
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedric...
Burkina Faso’s gold has become more than an export commodity. It has become a political test of sovereignty, state capacity and economic survival.
Burkina Faso’s military-led government has dissolved all political parties and ordered their assets transferred to the state under a decree adopted by the authorities.
Mali’s foreign minister has rejected claims that jihadists could soon capture the capital, calling them unrealistic. It was the government’s first detailed response to growing security concerns that prompted Western nations to advise their citizens to leave the country.
The U.S. Embassy Ouagadougou has temporarily paused all routine visa services effective October 10, 2025 according to an announcement on its website.
Counting is underway in Armenia's elections. The results of the vote are set to determine the political direction of the country of three million people for the next few years. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is hoping to fend off challenges from several pro-Russia candidates to secure a third term.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party has won the Armenian elections, picking up nearly half the vote. With a majority in parliament, Pashinyan is set for a third term as Prime Minister. But an opposition politican has said he will challenge the election results.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the number of casualties its citizens suffered as a result of the 5 June drone attacks on the cargo ships Natra and Zircon in the Sea of Azov. In a statement, it said four Azerbaijani citizens were killed and four others were injured.
The results of Armenia’s parliamentary elections will determine the makeup of the National Assembly and shape the country's political direction for the foreseeable future. But in Armenia, the final result is not decided by vote percentages alone. Here's how it works.
For about three decades after the Soviet collapse, Armenia anchored its foreign and security policy to Moscow.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for high-level talks in Westminster focused on ending the war in Ukraine.
A French Rafale fighter jet shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace from Russia on Monday (8 June), triggering security alerts and renewing concerns about the impact of the war in Ukraine on NATO's eastern flank.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday (8 June) for a rare summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, receiving a grand welcome as he described relations between the two countries as being at a "new historical starting point".
Football fans of all ages gathered in Miami Beach for a World Cup sticker trading event, exchanging duplicates and comparing Panini albums as they prepared for the tournament's opening match.
A city north of Tokyo has suspended classes at all 94 of its primary and middle schools after its first-ever reported bear sighting, amid growing concern over increasing encounters between bears and people across Japan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment