UN chief appoints new force commander in Abyei region

January 15, 2016 (ABYEI) – The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon on Friday appointed Ethiopia’s Major General, Hassen Ebrahim Mussa as Force Commander of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

Ki-moon said he was grateful to Lt. General Gelalcha for his dedication and effective leadership while at UNISFA as head of the military component.

“Major General Mussa has a long and distinguished career with the Ethiopian Armed Forces. He is currently serving as the Head of Peacekeeping Coordination Center in the Ethiopian Armed Forces,” partly reads a UN statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

A graduate the Ethiopian Defence Command and Staff College, Mussa previously served as the Sector Commander North in the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) from 2010-2011 and reportedly gained valuable experience in peacekeeping.

The new UNISFA force commander earlier served as head of foreign relations and military cooperation and peacekeeping, west command indoctrination head, division commander and a brigade commander, among other appointments within the Ethiopian Armed Forces.

(ST)