Burkina Faso junta expels UN coordinator

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA/AFP) – Burkina Faso’s military government on Friday announced the expulsion of the UN resident coordinator in the West African country.

Barbara Manzi has been ordered to leave the country immediately, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

Manzi is “declared persona non grata on the national territory, and she is therefore requested to leave Burkina Faso today, December 23, 2022,” the statement said.

No reason was given for the UN official’s expulsion, but sources said Manzi had wanted to evacuate families of UN diplomats posted in the capital Ouagadougou for security reasons.

Manzi was appointed to the post by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and she arrived in Burkina Faso in August 2021.

She also served as humanitarian coordinator.

The development comes days after the junta expelled two French citizens accused of espionage.

The West African country has witnessed two coups this year.

In January, the military ousted elected President Roch Marc Kabore. Amid growing insecurity, the country witnessed a second coup in September when angry soldiers led by Capt. Ibrahim Traorer deposed Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

Foreign Minister Olivia Rouamba said Manzi’s decision to “unilaterally” withdraw non-essential UN staff from the capital Ouagadougou justified the move.

The withdrawal “discredits and tarnishes the image of the country and puts off potential investors. It’s unthinkable and we have to take responsibility”, she told national television.

Rouamba said Manzi had “predicted chaos in Burkina Faso in the coming months”.

A poor landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel, Burkina Faso has since 2015 been plagued by attacks perpetrated by militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives and driven around two million people from their homes.

‘Long list of recriminations’

A diplomatic source said the expulsion “risks placing the country in a delicate situation, at a time when Burkina Faso needs partners more than ever to deal with the security and humanitarian crisis”, the source added.

Another diplomatic source told AFP that a “long list of recriminations” had led to the expulsion of Manzi.

In addition to the request for the withdrawal of non-essential staff, Manzi is also accused of “attempting to influence negatively” and of “interfering in the political affairs of Burkina”, according to the second source.

Rouamba added that Burkina Faso “maintained very good cooperation” with the United Nations irrespective of Manzi’s expulsion.

Media organisations in Burkina Faso have also accused the ruling junta of a clampdown after Radio France Internationale (RFI), which is widely followed in the West African state, was suspended.