Secretary-General Appoints Major General Didier L’Hôte of France Force Commander for United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Major General Didier L’Hôte of France as the Force Commander for the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI).

Major General L’Hôte will replace Major General Hafiz Masroor Ahmed of Pakistan, who will complete his tour of duty on 30 June 2015.  The Secretary-General is grateful to Major General Ahmed for his dedicated and exemplary service during his tenure with UNOCI.

Major General Didier L’Hôte brings to this position 35 years of national and international military experience.  Before his appointment, he served as Deputy Force Commander in the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI).  Prior to his tour of duty in Côte d’Ivoire, he was Deputy Commander of the Land Task Force in France from 2012 to 2014 and was deployed as French Contingent Commander in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012.  Besides these command positions, Major General L’Hôte also served in senior staff positions, including Chief of Staff of the Land Task Force from 2007 to 2010 and French Senior Officer and Chief of Staff of the European Union Force in the Republic of Chad and the Central African Republic (EUFOR Chad/CAR) from 2008 to 2009.

Major General L’Hôte has master’s degrees in management and defence studies and in international relations from the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom and the French War College, Ecole supérieure de guerre de Paris, respectively.  He is also a graduate of the French Senior Staff Course , Cours supérieur d'état-major. 

Born in 1960, Major General L’Hôte is married and has three children.