Ethiopian Major General Appointed UNISFA Force Commander

Addis Ababa February 16/2019 UN Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Major General Mehari Zewde of Ethiopia as Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) yesterday.

Major General Mehari has a distinguished military career with the Ethiopian Defense Forces spanning more than 37 years, he noted.

The newly appointed Mehari has also been a Council Member of the Ethiopian Ministry of National Defense since 2007.

He served as Deputy Commander of the Ethiopian Air Force (2001-2007), West Air Base Commander in the Ethiopian Air Force (1998-2001) and Division Commander (1989-1997), among other appointments within the Ethiopian Armed Forces.

Major General Mehari succeeds Major General Gebre Adhana Woldezgu of Ethiopia who will complete his assignment on 23 April 2019.

Guterres expressed his gratitude for Major General Gebre Adhana for his “tireless dedication, invaluable service and effective leadership of UNISFA”.