Carol Flore-Smereczniak was declared "persona non grata" because of her role in drafting the report that came out in March. Covering a two-year period, the study detailed more than 2,000 cases of reported child recruitment, killings, sexual violence and abuse - blaming Islamist insurgents, government soldiers and civilian defence forces. The military government, which came to power in September 2022 and is led by Capt Ibrahim Traoré, said it had not been consulted by the UN, saying the report contained unfounded allegations. It did not cite any documentation "or court rulings to support the alleged cases of violations against children attributed to the valiant Burkinabé fighters", the government's statement said. (BBC)