Sanguie: The Koudougou High Court held a special hearing on Tuesday in the conference room of the Pouni town hall, trying and convicting a woman who performed female genital mutilation, AIB observed. Several other cases were also examined.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the hearing was chaired by the president of the Koudougou High Court, Taophig El Mannane Sawadogo, and focused on the excision of four girls under the age of one. The accused, Ms. Yaro, aged around sixty, appeared in court for having, on January 11, 2026, in Benega, performed female genital mutilation on infants using a blade, in exchange for 500 CFA francs per girl. These acts constitute an attack on the integrity of the female genital organ and are punishable under Article 513-16 of the Penal Code.
After deliberation, the Court found the defendants guilty of the charges against them. However, in view of the educational objective of this mobile court hearing, aimed at raising public awareness and enabling the defendants themselves to become awareness relays within their circle, the court opted for a moderate sentence. Thus, Ms. Yaro was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, including 3 months of mandatory imprisonment, as well as a fine of 500,000 CFA francs, of which 50,000 CFA francs was mandatory.
The men who accompanied the girls to the circumciser, Mr. Konfe and Mr. Kirakoya, as well as Ms. Aminata, were also found guilty and sentenced to the same terms. The children's mothers received some leniency, the court taking into account the girls' need for appropriate care. The fathers, who were not present at the time of the events, received warnings.
According to Hamidou Kabore, the deputy prosecutor of Faso at the High Court of Koudougou, the trip to Pouni aimed to combine repression and awareness. 'The most important thing, above all else, is the message,' he stated, emphasizing that female genital mutilation remains illegal and severely punished by law. He reiterated that everyone is obligated to respect the penal code and that the public prosecutor's office will take action whenever violations are observed.
The president of the special delegation of the commune of Zawara, In¨s Diane Francine Malka, welcomed the holding of this hearing which she describes as a "boon" for the population. According to her, the initiative allowed residents to better understand how the justice system works and to raise awareness against a practice that, although outlawed for several years, continued to take place clandestinely in some areas. She also expressed her satisfaction with the strong turnout, believing that participants would pass on the information to those who were unable to attend.
The regional director of family and solidarity for the Nando region, Roland Kielem, expressed his satisfaction with the deployment of justice in this area. For him, holding the trial on site and handing down the sanctions clearly reaffirms that "the law has not changed" and that female genital mutilation remains prohibited in Burkina Faso. He believes that this approach, combining punishment and awareness-raising, will help deter potential perpetrators and better protect girls.
The organization of this mobile court hearing benefited from the involvement of judicial authorities, social action services, and the financial support of the partner Children Believe. Through this initiative, the Burkinabe justice system reaffirms its determination to fight against gender-based violence and to protect children's rights, recalling that female genital mutilation constitutes a severely punished criminal offence. Among the files was one relating to a sadly persistent phenomenon, rooted in certain customary practices and seriously undermining the physical and moral integrity of women: female genital mutilation (FGM), in this case acts of excision committed in the village of Benega, commune of Zawara.