Secretary-General Appoints Lieutenant General Ulisses de Mesquita Gomes of Brazil Force Commander, UN Stabilization Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Lieutenant General Ulisses de Mesquita Gomes of Brazil as Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
Lieutenant General Gomes succeeds Acting Force Commander Major General Khar Diouf of Senegal, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and service.
Lieutenant General Gomes brings to the position 35 years of experience in crisis response, conflict management and peacekeeping. He has both operational and strategic expertise as well as diplomatic experience. His last position was with his national military, where he served as Deputy Chief of Army Logistics Command. Prior to that, he was the Brazilian Military Attaché to the United States of America.
He previously served as the 7th Infantry Brigade Commander in Brazil, the Defence Adviser of the Minister of Strategic Affairs of the Brazilian Government and the Chief of Planning and Operations of the 11th Infantry Brigade. His international experience includes his deployment with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) (2008-2009) and his appointment as the Chief of the Current Military Operations Service and Policy & Doctrine Team in the Office of Military Affairs of the UN Department of Peace Operations (2017-2019).
Lieutenant General Gomes holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Federal University, Brazil, and a master’s degree in military science and law from the Brazilian Army Staff College. He is fluent in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.