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Uruguayan named to lead UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus

Uruguayan named to lead UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced today that Major-General Herbert Joaquin Figoli Almandos of Uruguay has been appointed Force Commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

General Figoli, 55, replaces Lieutenant General Jin Ha Hwang as Force Commander of one of the UN’s longest-running peacekeeping missions. It has been in place in Cyprus since March 1964.

General Figoli enlisted as a cadet in the Uruguayan army in 1965 and is a graduate of the Uruguay Military Academy, Army Staff College and the National Superior Studies Centre.

He has held various military posts in Uruguay, and has also served with UN operations in India-Pakistan, Cambodia, Rwanda and Tajikistan.