UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday announced the appointment of Mankeur Ndiaye of Senegal as his new special representative for the Central African Republic (CAR) and head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
Ndiaye will succeed Parfait Onanga-Anyanga of Gabon, who has been leading the Mission since August 2015.
Ndiaye has over 27 years of experience in diplomacy and international affairs, including as the minister of foreign affairs of Senegal from 2012 to 2017. Most recently, Ndiaye served as chairman of the National Committee on Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative in Senegal (EITI), said Guterres' press office.
According to the office, prior to his ministerial appointment, Ndiaye served as the ambassador of Senegal to France (2012) and to Mali (2010-2012).
The CAR has been in civil war since 2012, which is being fought along religious and ethnic lines. The CAR government, which controls only a fifth of the country's territory, wants MINUSCA to take up more security responsibilities.
