(MENAFN) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on Tuesday the appointment of Lt. Gen. Ganesh Kumar Shrestha from Nepal as the new force commander for the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

"Lieutenant General Shrestha succeeds Major General Robert Yaw Affram of Ghana, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and leadership of UNISFA during the interim period," the UN said in a statement.

Shrestha brings 36 years of military experience, including leadership roles in the Nepalese Army such as division commander of the Far Western Division. He also has UN peacekeeping experience, having served as sector commander for Sector East in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), according to the statement.

The UN Security Council authorized the deployment of UNISFA to the disputed Abyei Area, a region claimed by both northern and southern Sudan.

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