US citizen jailed for sexually abusing Burkino Faso girls

A US citizen has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing two teenage girls while working at the US embassy in Burkina Faso, reports BBC News. The US Department of Justice said 41-year-old Fode Mara, from Maryland, was sentenced following a two-week trial in October 2025 in the state's federal District Court. A jury found him guilty of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, as well as attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and attempted obstruction of justice. According to evidence presented in court, the abuse occurred at a residence leased for US diplomatic personnel. Because the property was reserved for official use, it fell under US jurisdiction, allowing American authorities to prosecute the case. Reports say the two victims, who were aged 13 and 15 when the abuse began, came from a vulnerable background. Prosecutors said Mara exploited their circumstances over the course of about a year. He used the girls' mother's life-threatening illness as an opportunity to demand sex, telling them he could not help them without receiving something in return, said the Office of Public Affairs. Mara had provided the girls with phones so he could summon them while his wife was away at work, it added. He was also convicted of sending sexually explicit messages to one of the girls and attempting to persuade a housekeeper to mislead investigators. The case was investigated by the US authorities with assistance from Burkina Faso. US officials said the life term reflected the seriousness of the crimes and underscored the government's commitment to prosecuting child sexual abuse, including offences committed abroad by American citizens.

Full BBC News report