Secretary-General Appoints Bintou Keita of Guinea Special Representative in Democratic Republic of Congo

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Bintou Keita of Guinea as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

She succeeds Leila Zerrougui of Algeria, who will complete her assignment next month, and to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for her important contribution and service to MONUSCO.

Ms. Keita brings to the position more than 30 years of experience in peace, security, development, humanitarian and human rights, working in conflict and post-conflict environments.  Since January 2019 she has been the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, having served as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations from November 2017 to December 2018.

Between 2015 and 2017, Ms. Keita was Deputy Joint Special Representative for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).  She previously led United Nations efforts to fight Ebola as Ebola Crisis Manager for Sierra Leone between February and November 2015.  From 2007 to 2010, she was Deputy Executive Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB).

Ms. Keita joined the Organization in 1989 and served in several senior management and leadership functions with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Chad, Congo, Madagascar, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Burundi and at Headquarters.

She holds a master’s degree in social economy from the University of Paris II and a post-graduate degree in business administration and management from the University of Paris IX, both in France.

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* This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1761-BIO/5026-PKO/667 of 18 September 2017.