UNITED NATIONS, June 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday appointed Maj. Gen. Kefyalew Amde Tessema of Ethiopia as force commander of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
Kefyalew succeeds his compatriot Maj. Gen. Mehari Zewde Gebremariam, who will complete his assignment on July 7, 2020, said Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesman.
Kefyalew has a distinguished military career with the Ethiopian Armed Forces spanning more than 30 years. He has also been a council member of the Ethiopian Defense Ministry since 2017, Haq told a virtual press briefing.
Kefyalew holds a master's degree in business administration from Ashland University in the United States and a bachelor's degree from the Russian Federation Compound Force Academy. Born in 1969 in Arsi, Ethiopia, he is proficient in English and Russian.
Abyei is a territory contested by Sudan and South Sudan. UNISFA was set up by the UN Security Council in June 2011 after a flare-up shortly before South Sudan's independence from Sudan. Enditem
