WASHINGTON

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced Tuesday the appointment of Lt. Gen. Ganesh Kumar Shrestha of Nepal as his new force commander in the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

"Lieutenant General Shrestha succeeds Major General Robert Yaw Affram of Ghana, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and leadership of UNISFA during the interim period," the UN said in a statement.

Shrestha brings 36 years of military service encompassing leadership positions in the Nepalese Army, such as division commander of the Far Western Division, as well as UN peacekeeping experience, including sector commander for Sector East in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), according to the statement.

The UN Security Council authorized the deployment of a UNISFA peacekeeping force to the disputed Abyei Area, which straddles northern and southern Sudan and has been claimed by both sides.