Burkina Faso authorities has no authority to expel official – UN Chief

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has expressed his confidence in Ms Barbara Manzi, the most senior UN official in Burkina Faso, who was ordered to leave the country by the government.

Guterres, in a statement, said he had full confidence in the UN system in Burkina Faso, as well as in Ms Manzi’s commitment and professionalism.

Burkina Faso’s military government in a statement on Friday ordered Manzi to leave the country immediately, without giving a reason.

When contacted, a government spokesperson did not immediately say why it had labelled Manzi, the UN’s Resident Coordinator in Burkina Faso, as “persona non grata” and demanded that she leaves on Friday.

For years, Burkina Faso has suffered from political instability and saw two military coups in 2022 alone.

This year also saw a continuation of the deadly terrorist attacks that have long blighted the country: at least 79 were killed in an attack on a town in the north of the country in June.

Amid this lack of security, Burkina Faso is facing a huge humanitarian crisis, with more than a million people in Burkina Faso displaced from their homes, victims of ongoing conflict and poverty.

According to media reports, the Burkina Faso Foreign Ministry cited Manzi’s decision to withdraw non-essential staff from the capital, Ouagadougou, as its justification for declaring her persona non grata.

However, Guterres pointed out in his statement, the doctrine of persona non grata does not apply to United Nations officials.

“Under Article 100 and 101 of the United Nations Charter, United Nations staff members are appointed by the Secretary-General, responsible only to the Organisation, and United Nations Member States undertake to respect their exclusively international character,” he said.

The statement went on to explain that UN staff members have the right to remain in Burkina Faso in order to perform their functions on behalf of the organisation.

In addition, it stated that only the UN Secretary-General, as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Organisation, has the authority to withdraw any United Nations official.

Guterres reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to continue to engage with the transitional authorities in Burkina Faso, and to support the country and its people.