United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh of Chad as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
Mr. Mahamat Saleh succeeds Mohamed Ibn Chambas of Ghana, whom the Secretary-General thanks for his dedication and effective leadership at the head of UNOWAS.
Former Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) since 2015, Mr. Mahamat Saleh brings extensive national and international experience to the position, having participated in various peace processes in Africa, including Niger, the Central African Republic and Sudan.
He was Special Representative of the African Union and Head of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) (2012-2014), and previously served as Permanent Representative of the African Union Commission to the European Union (2006-2010) .
Mr. Mahamat Saleh was formerly Minister for Foreign Affairs of Chad (1997-2003), Chief of Staff to the President (2004-2006) and Secretary General of the Presidency (2010-2012).
He is a telecommunications engineer from the Polytechnic School of Madagascar.
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* Replaces press release SG/A/1620-BIO/4799-PKO/551 from December 23, 2015.