Secretary-General Appoints Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh of Chad Special Representative for West Africa and Sahel

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, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service and effective leadership at the helm of UNOWAS.

A former Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) since 2015, Mr. Mahamat Saleh brings to the position extensive national and international experience, having taken part in several peace processes in Africa, including Niger, the Central African Republic and Sudan.

He was the African Union’s Special Representative and Head of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) (2012-2014), having previously served as Permanent Representative of the African Union Commission to the European Union (2006-2010).

Mr. Mahamat Saleh was previously Chad’s Minister for Foreign Affairs (1997-2003), Chief of Staff to the President (2004-2006) and Secretary-General to the Presidency (2010-2012).

He holds an engineering degree in telecommunications from the Polytechnic School of Madagascar.

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* This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1620-BIO/4799-PKO/551 of 23 December 2015.