Appointments

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Vera Songwe of Cameroon as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).  She most recently served as the International Finance Corporation’s regional director covering West and Central Africa. Ms. Songwe succeeds Carlos Lopes of Guinea-Bissau. 

Jeremiah Kingsley Mamabolo of South Africa has been appointed as the joint special representative for Darfur and head of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).  He most recently served with UNAMID as deputy joint special representative (Political).  Mr. Mamabolo succeeds Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi of Nigeria.

François Louncény Fall of Guinea has been appointed as special representative of the secretary-general and head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA). Prior to his appointment, he had been serving within the same office in an acting capacity since November 2016. 

Najat Rochdi of Morocco has been appointed as deputy special representative for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), where she will also serve as the UN resident coordinator, humanitarian coordinator and resident representative of the UN Development Programme.  Ms. Rochdi succeeds Fabrizio Hochschild of Chile.

Maj-Gen. Tesfay Gidey Hailemichael of Ethiopia has been appointed as force commander for the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). He most recently served as the head of the Defence Logistics Department in the Ethiopian Armed Forces.  Maj-Gen. Hailemichael succeeds Maj-Gen. Hassen Ebrahim Mussa, also of Ethiopia.

Major General Jean-Paul Deconinck of Belgium has been appointed as force commander of UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).  Prior to his appointment, Maj-Gen. Deconinck had served as commander land forces of the Belgian armed forces from September 2014.  He succeeds Michael Lollesgaard of Denmark.