A former US diplomat-status employee has been sentenced to life in prison for the repeated sexual assault of two minor girls in Ouagadougou, bringing a dark chapter of international exploitation to a close in a Maryland federal court. ​Fode Sitafa Mara, a former employee at the US Embassy in Burkina Faso, was sentenced on Thursday, February 26 th , 2026, for crimes that federal prosecutors described as reprehensible. Mara was convicted of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, coercion, and obstruction of justice. ​Between 2022 and 2023, Mara targeted two sisters, aged 13 and

A former US diplomat-status employee has been sentenced to life in prison for the repeated sexual assault of two minor girls in Ouagadougou, bringing a dark chapter of international exploitation to a close in a Maryland federal court. ​Fode Sitafa Mara, a former employee at the US Embassy in Burkina Faso, was sentenced on Thursday, February 26th, 2026, for crimes that federal prosecutors described as reprehensible. Mara was convicted of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, coercion, and obstruction of justice.

​Between 2022 and 2023, Mara targeted two sisters, aged 13 and 15, who lived in extreme poverty near his embassy-leased residence. Evidence presented at trial revealed that Mara groomed the girls by exploiting their family's desperate situation specifically their mother's life threatening illness. Mara reportedly told the children he would only provide the financial aid they needed for their mother's care in exchange for sexual acts. ​The case drew significant attention due to Mara's diplomatic status. While such status often complicates local prosecution, the US Department of Justice moved to try him on American soil. Because the assaults occurred within a residence leased by the US government for diplomatic personnel, the property fell under the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

​This legal mechanism ensured that Mara could not hide behind his position to escape accountability. During the investigation, it was also revealed that Mara attempted to obstruct justice by trying to persuade his housekeeper to lie to federal investigators. ​US  Attorney Kelly O. Hayes emphasized that the sentence serves as a clear message; "Those who prey on our children will pay a hefty price." Officials from the State Department and Homeland Security noted that the conviction highlights the US government's commitment to prosecuting its own representatives when they commit crimes abroad. ​Mara’s life sentence, which includes lifetime supervised release, marks the end of a high profile pursuit of justice that spanned two continents. For the survivors in Burkina Faso, the verdict provides a measure of closure against a man who used the power of the US  government as a tool for predatory abuse.

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