After having carried out a joint mission with ECOWAS to Burkina Faso on 31 January, and participated in the Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on the political situation in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea, held in Accra, Ghana,  on 3 February, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mahamat Saleh ANNADIF, informed the United Nations Security Council yesterday by videoconference on the situation in Burkina Faso, following the military coup d'état that took place on 24 January.

Reporting on the current general situation in Burkina Faso, the Special Representative ANNADIF stressed the importance of a coordinated response among the various partners to help Burkina Faso cope with this crisis. "In the search for solutions, we must do everything possible to prevent the populations, who are already suffering from the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation, from being unduly affected by the ongoing political crisis," he said.

Reaffirming the commitment of the United Nations, the Special Representative said that the Emergency Working Group on Burkina Faso established by the Executive Committee of the Secretary-General is working to coordinate the response of the United Nations system and provide appropriate support to initiatives on the ground, adding that the United Nations country team, under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, will continue its activities with other partners in the country to ensure vital support to the population.