Summary:
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In a statement issued on Saturday, Mr. Guterres said he had complete faith in the Burkinabe UN system and Ms. Manzi’s dedication and competence.
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Due to ongoing violence and poverty, more than a million people in Burkina Faso have been forced to leave their homes.
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Media reports say that the Burkina Faso Foreign Ministry’s decision to make Ms. Manzi a non-grata was based on her decision to move non-essential workers out of Ouagadougou, the country’s capital.
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But, as Mr. Guterres said in his speech, the persona non grata theory does not apply to United Nations representatives.
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Mr. Guterres said that the UN is still planning to work with Burkina Faso’s interim leaders and help the country and its people.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Mr. Guterres said he had complete faith in the Burkinabe UN system and Ms. Manzi’s dedication and competence.
Burkina Faso has had political unrest for a long time; just in 2022, there were two military takeovers. At least 79 people were killed in a terrorist attack on a village in the country’s north in June, and on Monday, a minibus collided with a landmine, killing about 10 passengers. This year has also seen more terrible terrorist attacks that have been going on for a long time.
Due to ongoing violence and poverty, more than a million people in Burkina Faso have been forced to leave their homes. This lack of security has caused a terrible humanitarian crisis.
The crisis was exacerbated in November, when Ms. Manzi spoke about how vulnerable health and education services were to terrorist attacks in a blog post for UN News.
Media reports say that the Burkina Faso Foreign Ministry’s decision to make Ms. Manzi non grata was based on her decision to move non-essential workers out of Ouagadougou, the country’s capital.
But, as Mr. Guterres said in his speech, the persona non grata theory does not apply to United Nations representatives.
The head of the UN said, “Articles 100 and 101 of the United Nations Charter say that the Secretary-General chooses United Nations staff and that they only answer to the Organization. United Nations Member States also agree to keep their international nature.”
To carry out their duties on behalf of the organization, UN employees have the right to stay in Burkina Faso, according to the statement, and only the UN Secretary-General, who serves as the organization’s chief administrative officer, has the power to order any UN employee to leave the country.
Mr. Guterres said that the UN is still planning to work with Burkina Faso’s interim leaders and help the country and its people.
Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network
