The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Major-General Tesfay Gidey Hailemichael of Ethiopia as Force Commander for the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei.
He succeeds Major-General Hassen Ebrahim Mussa of Ethiopia who completed his assignment on 17 January 2017. The Secretary-General expressed his gratitude to Major-General Hassen for his dedication and effective leadership of UNISFA as head of the military component.
Major-General Tesfay has had a long and distinguished career with the Ethiopian Armed Forces, being Head of the Defense Logistics Department since April 2014 and previously serving as a Corps Commander. He has been a member of the Defense Council since 2011.
He holds an MA in Public Health. UNIFSA, set up in June 2011, is tasked with monitoring the border and the demilitarized area of Abyei, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, and also provide security for the region's oil infrastructure. It is also authorized to use force in protecting civilians and humanitarian workers in Abyei, help ensure the security and freedom of movement of members of the Joint Military Observers Committee and Joint Military Observer Teams and supporting the development of effective bilateral management mechanisms, facilitating liaisons and building mutual trust as part of the process of border normalization.
It was set up after the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement reached an agreement in Addis Ababa, to demilitarize Abyei and let Ethiopian troops monitor the area.
According to MoFA, UNIFSA is currently made up of 4,382 troops, 89 military observers, 20 police and a civilian element of 200, though its authorized strength is for 5,326 troops and 50 police.