OLUYEMI ADENIJI APPOINTED SECRETARY-GENERAL'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SIERRA LEONE

Press Release
SG/A/713

OLUYEMI ADENIJI APPOINTED SECRETARY-GENERAL'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SIERRA LEONE

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary- General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General has decided to appoint Oluyemi Adeniji of Nigeria as his Special Representative for Sierra Leone and Head of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). Mr. Adeniji will succeed Francis Okelo, who has acted as the Special Representative for the Secretary-General since June 1998. Mr. Adeniji's appointment coincides with the critical phase of the implementation of the Lomé Peace Agreement, as well as the major expansion of the United Nations mandate in Sierra Leone pursuant to Security Council resolution 1270 (1999) of 22 October.

Mr. Adeniji joined the Nigerian Foreign Service in July 1960 and had a distinguished diplomatic career. He served in the Nigerian embassies in Washington, D.C., Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Accra, Ghana, and in various capacities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From 1970 to 1973, Mr. Adeniji was Minister in the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He was appointed Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1976. From 1977 to 1981, he was Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Ambassador to Switzerland.

From 1987 to 1991, he was Ambassador to France. He was appointed the Director-General of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991, the post from which he retired in 1994. Since his retirement, he continued his activities in multilateral diplomacy including at the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Conflict Resolution Mechanism, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Most recently, Mr. Adeniji has been serving as the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINURCA). The Minorca's mandate included assisting in providing security in Bangui, and in preparing for the legislative and presidential elections, which were successfully held in November/December 1998 and September 1999, respectively.

- 2 - Press Release SG/A/713 19 November 1999

Born on 22 July 1934 in Nigeria, Mr. Adeniji holds a degree in history from London University.

The Secretary-General would like to pay tribute to his outgoing Special Representative, Francis Okelo, for his dedication and commitment in carrying out his tasks under the extremely difficult conditions in Sierra Leone. The Secretary-General would like to acknowledge Mr. Okelo's persistent efforts aimed at concluding and implementing the 7 July 1999 Lomé Peace Agreement, as well as his close, productive cooperation with the leaders of West Africa and their monitoring group, the Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG).

* *** *