Monrovia, 20 February 2015 – The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of UN Operations in Liberia, Karin Landgren, has welcomed the newly appointed Force Commander, Maj.-Gen. Salihu Zaway Uba of Nigeria, to UNMIL.

Maj.-Gen. Uba succeeds Maj.-Gen. Leonard Muriuki Ngondi of Kenya, who will complete his tour of duty on 25 February 2015.  The new Force Commander brings with him 32 years of national and international military experience.  Before his appointment, he served as the Commander of Training and Doctrine Command of the Nigerian Army and the Commandant of the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre from 2013 to 2014.  Between 2012 and 2013, he served as the Director of Veterans Affairs Department in the Nigerian Ministry of Defence.

Special Representative Landgren expressed her gratitude to Maj.-Gen. Ngondi for his dedication and exemplary service during his tenure with UNMIL, and highlighted his commitment during the Ebola crisis. “Ebola challenged the Mission in many ways, and given the large proportion of personnel in the Force, we were fortunate to have such a solid, focused and calm leader at the helm. Getting through that period was in no small way due to our closely knit senior leadership, and Force Commander Ngondi’s hard work and team  spirit made a critical contribution,” she pointed out.