Two recent female genital mutilation (FGM) cases tried in Bobo-Dioulasso and Pouni have resulted in the conviction of seven individuals, underlining the judiciary’s resolve to prosecute a practice that remains banned yet persists in certain communities.
On February 17, 2026, the Bobo-Dioulasso criminal court delivered its verdict in a case of complicity in FGM involving three women. Mariam, Kadidjatou and Adjara — pseudonyms — all homemakers, faced charges relating to acts committed on January 6, 2026, in the village of Kiri, in the second district of the municipality of Bobo-Dioulasso.
According to evidence presented in court, Adjara — a mother of five, including a four-year-old daughter — had traveled to Bobo-Dioulasso to attend a relative’s wedding, where she met Mariam and Kadidjatou. The three women then took the young girl to a practitioner in Kiri to undergo the procedure. After the mutilation, they were attempting to treat the child’s wounds with hot water when an anonymous tip-off to law enforcement led to their arrest.
At the hearing, all three defendants admitted to the facts. Mariam and Kadidjatou claimed they were unaware that FGM is prohibited in Burkina Faso. Adjara, the child’s mother, cited tradition. “She is the only daughter I have. I was told that custom calls for excision, and that is what led me to do it,” she said. All three expressed remorse and pledged never to condone the practice again, saying they now intend to raise awareness among other women.
The prosecutor noted that the practitioner who performed the procedure could not be identified or apprehended. The court imposed twelve-month suspended sentences and fines of 500,000 CFA francs on each defendant, in line with the prosecution’s recommendations. The bench recalled that Burkinabè law provides for prison terms of one to ten years for anyone involved in FGM.
Several days later, on March 3, 2026, a second FGM case was heard during a traveling court session organized in the rural commune of Pouni by the Koudougou Court of First Instance. Four individuals — the main perpetrator and three accomplices — were prosecuted for the mutilation of four girls between three and twenty-four months old. The case had been reported in January, with the defendants referred to the public prosecutor’s office on January 14.
All four admitted their involvement and were sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment, including three months to be served, along with fines of 500,000 CFA francs, of which 50,000 francs are non-suspended, in accordance with Articles 513-7 and 131-8 of the Penal Code.
The traveling court session, widely praised for its educational impact, was supported by the organisation Children Believe, the regional directorate responsible for family affairs and the local authorities of Pouni. The presiding magistrates reiterated that FGM constitutes a serious violation of children’s physical integrity and that combating it is a responsibility shared by society as a whole.
Together, these two cases reflect a growing mobilization within Burkina Faso’s judiciary, which is increasingly willing to bring justice directly to rural communities in order to prosecute practices with irreversible consequences for girls’ rights and health.
HO/te/lb/as/APA