A United States 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.

The US Department of Justice said 41-year-old Fode Sitafa Mara, from Maryland, was sentenced on Wednesday 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.

The prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Justice Department in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation.

Prosecutors said the offences took place in 2022 and 2023 in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, where Mara was employed by the United States embassy.

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.

"His crimes were reprehensible. While no sentence could undo the harm he caused, today's outcome demonstrates that those who abuse children – domestically or abroad – will face significant consequences in the American justice system,'' said Assistant Attorney General A Tysen Duva.

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.

"Our message is clear, those who prey on our children will pay a hefty price," said US attorney Kelly Hayes for the District of Maryland.

In statements issued after sentencing, 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.