UN Appoints Ghana’s Major General Anita Asmah as UNDOF Force Commander

ACCRA: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Major General Anita Asmah of Ghana as the new Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). Major General Asmah will take over from Lieutenant General Nirmal Kumar Thapa of Nepal, who will complete his assignment in mid-December 2024.According to Ghana News Agency, Major General Asmah brings 31 years of leadership and command experience within the Ghana Armed Forces and United Nations peacekeeping missions to her new role. Before her appointment, she served as the Director General of the Department of Defence Civilian Establishment in the Ghana Armed Forces. From 2021 to 2023, she also held the position of Deputy Force Commander of UNDOF.Her extensive experience in international peacekeeping includes roles as a Staff Officer in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from 2015 to 2016 and from 2012 to 2013. Major General Asmah was also a Military Observer in the United Nat ions Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) between 2003 and 2004.Within the Ghana Armed Forces, Major General Asmah has served in several senior capacities, including Director of Education, Deputy Military Secretary, and Course Director at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Ghana and is proficient in both English and French.