United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Major General Anita Asmah of Ghana as the new Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), effective January 2025.
Asmah will succeed Lieutenant General Nirmal Kumar Thapa of Nepal, who completes his assignment in mid-December 2024.
With 31 years of leadership and command experience in the Ghana Armed Forces and United Nations peacekeeping, Asmah is well-equipped to lead the UNDOF mission, which aims to maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Syria.
Her recent roles include Director General in the Department of Defence Civilian Establishment of the Ghana Armed Forces and Deputy Force Commander of UNDOF from 2021 to 2023.
Asmah’s appointment marks a significant milestone for Ghanaian women in military leadership, making her the third female from the Ghana Armed Forces to assume a top UN role.
She is also the second military officer to rise to a UN job, following in the footsteps of the late Brigadier General Constance Emefa Edjeani-Afenu, who served as Deputy Force Commander of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.
