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Togolese general selected as force commander of UN mission in Côte d’Ivoire

Togolese general selected as force commander of UN mission in Côte d’Ivoire

UNOCI peacekeepers on patrol
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of an experienced Togolese military officer as the new Force Commander for the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI).

Major General Gnakoudè Béréna will succeed Maj. Gen. Abdul Hafiz of Bangladesh, whose tour of duty with the peacekeeping operation ends next week.

A former chief of army staff in Togo, as well as a special adviser to his country’s President, Maj. Gen. Béréna has also served as a sector commander with the then UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) in 1993-94.

The new Force Commander also served in the same role with the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Guinea-Bissau in 1998-99.

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