The UN coordinator in Burkina Faso, Italian Barbara Manzi, has been declared “persona non grata” and “asked to leave the country” on Friday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Ms. Barbara Manzi, resident coordinator of the United Nations system, is declared persona non grata on the territory of Burkina Faso. According to a diplomatic source, the expulsion is justified by the fact that Ms. Manzi recently “requested and obtained the withdrawal of non-essential personnel of the (UN) system from Burkina Faso”.