Addis Ababa, 18 January 2016 (WIC) – The Secretary General of United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, appointed Ethiopian Major General Hassen Ebrahim Mussa as Force Commander of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
Major General Hassen succeeds an Ethiopian Lieutenant General; Birhanu Jula Gelalcha, who will complete his assignment on 20 January.
The Secretary General acknowledged Lieutenant General Birhanu for his dedication and effective leadership of UNISFA as head of the military component.
Major General Hassen has a distinguished career with the Ethiopian Armed Forces since 1995. He is currently serving as the Head of Peacekeeping Coordination Center in the Ethiopian Armed Forces.
Graduated from the Ethiopian Defence Command and Staff College in 2005, Major General Hassen was a Corps Commander of the Ethiopian Armed Forces from 2011 to 2012. He previously served as the Sector Commander North in the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) where he gained valuable experience in UN peacekeeping missions. Prior to this, he held a number of other appointments within the Ethiopian Armed Forces, starting in 1995. (UN)