Major General Yohannes Gebremeskel named new commander of UN force for Abyei

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede Tesfay, Former Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Major General Yohannes Gebremeskel Tesfamariam of Ethiopia as the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

Major General Yohannes Gebremeskel Tesfamariam succeeds Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede Tesfay of Ethiopia, who completed his assignment on 24 January 2013.  The Secretary-General is grateful for Lieutenant General Tesfay’s accomplishments during his tenure in UNISFA.

Major General Tesfamariam brings to the position 35 years of experience gathered during his distinguished military career in the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, including a number of important command and staff appointments.  He has served as the Head of the Peacekeeping Department and Head of the Military Intelligence Department in the Ethiopian Ministry of National Defence.  He has also served as Commander of the Army Corps and the Government of Ethiopia Commissioner for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).  Major General Tesfamariam has most recently occupied the position of Deputy Force Commander of UNISFA.  

Major General Tesfamariam has a master’s degree in peace and security from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

Born in 1960 in Tigray, Ethiopia, he is married and has three children.
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