An American who worked at the US embassy in Burkina Faso has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting two young women.

The jury found the man guilty of sexual assault, fraud, coercion and obstruction of justice.

The US Department of Justice identified the man as 41-year-old Fode Sittafa and announced the verdict after a two-week trial in October.

Prosecutors said the crimes took place in 2022 and 2023 in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, while he was working at the US embassy.

Evidence presented to the court showed that the crimes took place at the residence of a US diplomat.

The two victims were aged 13 and 15 at the time.

The man was found guilty of sending sexually explicit messages to a minor and persuading the housekeeper to make false statements to investigators.