The United Nations (UN) on Saturday said the Burkina Faso government had no grounds to ask senior U.N. official Barbara Manzi to leave the country and that the doctrine of “persona non grata” does not apply to her, reported The Reuters.
On Friday, Burkina Faso’s military government released a statement instructing Manzi to leave the country with immediate effect.
Foreign Minister Olivia Rouamba accused the UN official of painting a negative picture of the country’s security situation,
Manzi “predicted chaos in Burkina Faso in the next few months”, Rouamba said on national television.
The minister alleged that she had unilaterally recommended the evacuation of some UN staff and their families from Ouagadougou.
“She discredited the country and discouraged potential investors,” the foreign minister said, noting the government’s “big efforts” towards improving security.
On Saturday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was disappointed with Burkina Faso government’s decision and expressed full confidence in Manzi’s commitment and professionalism.
“The doctrine of persona non grata does not apply to United Nations officials,” he added. “Only the Secretary-General … has the authority to decide, after careful investigation, with respect to the withdrawal of any United Nations official.”
As per the statement, UN staff members are appointed by the Secretary-General and only he has the authority to decide, after careful investigation, with respect to the withdrawal of any of the organization’s officials.
In the statement, Dujarric said Guterres reiterated the UN’s commitment to continue to engage with the transitional authorities in Burkina Faso to support the country and its people.
The West African country is battling armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) who have killed thousands of civilians. Nearly two million people have been forced to displace in the north and east due to violence. The country faced two military coups this year.
