First ladies call for ban against FGM

A two-day high level conference has just begun in Burkina Faso on the controversial subject of female genital mutilation (FGM).

Presided over by the Burkinabe first lady, Chantal Compaore, and her counterpart from Guinea Bissau, Mariama Mane Sanha, the meeting is calling for the practice to be banned outright on the continent.

That, however, is not an easy call because FGM has deep roots in many societies across Africa.

Our correspondent, Pierre Kazoni, was at the opening ceremony in Ouagadougou.