THE DEPARTMENT OF Foreign Affairs is investigating reports that an Irish national is missing in war-torn Burkina Faso.
It had been reported that there was an attack on a security force convoy in the Pama area in the south of the West African country.
It is understood that two journalists, possibly a Spanish reporter and a journalist described as Irish, have gone missing.
A spokesperson for the department said: ‘The Department is aware of the reports and is liaising closely with international partners regarding the situation on the ground. The Department does not comment on the details of any specific case.’
Sources have said that the situation is “very fluid” in the area and that diplomatic and security efforts were underway to confirm the identities of those missing.
Local media were reporting that the convoy was part of an anti-poaching operation in the area.
It is believed three people were injured and two, said to be Western journalists, missing.
The closest Irish consulate is in Nigeria and the current Papal Nuncio for Burkina Faso is Irish born Vatican diplomat, Archbishop Michael Crotty.
The Irish Army Ranger Wing have been operating in nearby Mali as part of a UN mission in the area dealing with Islamic armed groups.
Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali has been ravaged by conflict for a number of years.
The region is host to 851,000 refugees and nearly two million displaced people, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Sources in Burkina Faso said that the general area around Pama is said to be dangerous with a large number of armed groups in the region.
Additional reporting by Adam Daly.
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