United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday announced the appointment of Major General Mehari Zewde Gebremariam of Ethiopia as Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

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

Gebremariam, who served the Ethiopian military for more than 37 years, was recently the Head of Human Resources Main Department of the Ethiopian National Defence Force. 

He is also a Council Member of the Ethiopian Ministry of National Defence since 2007.

Major General Gebremariam holds a Master of Science Degree from Greenwich University in the United Kingdom.

UNISFA is a UN peacekeeping force in Abyei, which is contested between Sudan and South Sudan. The Ethiopian Army is the largest contributor of personnel in UNISFA.

The UNISFA force has been mandated to protect civilians and deliver humanitarian assistance, among others.