DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The military junta in Burkina Faso declared the United Nations resident coordinator, Carol Flore-Smereczniak, as “persona non grata” on Monday. This decision follows an official U.N. report accusing jihadi groups and government forces of committing abuses against children.

The government of Burkina Faso condemned Flore-Smereczniak, claiming she was complicit in the creation of the report titled “Children and Armed Conflict in Burkina Faso.” The junta criticized the report for being “without evidence or supporting documentation” while alleging that it disseminated “serious and false information.” A response from the U.N. has yet to be received regarding these allegations.

The report in question, which was published in April, highlighted several grave violations involving children from July 2022 to June 2024. It documented a total of 2,483 verified abuses against 2,255 children, noting that some of these minors were victims of multiple violations. Among the reported abuses were the recruitment of children as soldiers, sexual exploitation, and attacks on hospitals and educational institutions.

Carol Flore-Smereczniak was appointed to her role by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in July 2024. Alongside her position as the resident coordinator, she also serves as the humanitarian coordinator for the country. At the time of her appointment, the U.N. communicated that it had received the approval of the host government.

Burkina Faso, along with neighboring Niger and Mali, has faced a persistent insurgency for over a decade, primarily driven by jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State. In recent years, military coups have taken place in all three of these nations, leading the ruling juntas to expel French troops and seek assistance from Russian mercenary units for security purposes.

Despite these shifts in military strategy, analysts indicate that the security situation in the Sahel region has deteriorated since the juntas seized power. This decline has been marked by a significant rise in attacks and a record number of civilian casualties, attributed to both Islamic militants and government forces.

In 2023, a call for an investigation into the deaths of at least 28 individuals was issued by the head of the U.N.’s human rights office. Local human rights organizations have accused volunteer militias supporting Burkina Faso's military of being responsible for these killings, further complicating the already tense environment in the region.