Burkina To Probe Alleged Child Abuse By French Soldiers

Prosecution authorities in Ouagadougou have launched a probe into allegations of child sex abuse by two French soldiers deployed in the country as part of a French anti-terrorism operation, the Burkinabe Defense Ministry said Wednesday.



"The charges against the two French soldiers are serious… Ouagadougou will not keep silent," a senior Burkinabe government official, requesting anonymity, told Anadolu Agency.



The move comes one day after French prosecution authorities announced the launch of their own preliminary inquiry into the allegations.



Nearly 220 French soldiers are currently deployed in Burkina Faso as part of a French anti-terrorism operation that also includes French military deployments in Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Chad.



"French soldiers have recently been implicated in similar cases in the Central African Republic (CAR)," the Burkinabe official said. "France must take this issue seriously."



In May, French prosecutors announced plans to investigate allegations that members of a French contingent of UN peacekeepers had sexually abused local children in CAR. - Burkina Faso