UN appoints Nepal general as UNISFA force commander

December 2, 2025 (UNITED NATIONS) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Nepal’s Lieutenant General Ganesh Kumar Shrestha as force commander of the U.N. Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), the world body said on Monday.

Shrestha succeeds Major General Robert Yaw Affram of Ghana, whom Guterres thanked for his leadership during the interim period, the United Nations said in a statement.

Shrestha brings 36 years of military experience, including roles as division commander of Nepal’s Far Western Division and sector commander for the U.N. mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). His most recent post was master general of ordnance at Nepal army headquarters.

He holds master’s degrees in military science, strategic studies and economics, along with a bachelor’s degree in humanities and social sciences from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, according to the U.N.