UN north-south peacekeepers get new commander

The newly appointed UNMIS Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Moses Bisong Obi, arrived in Sudan on 29 May. He replaces Lt. Gen. Paban Jung Thapa of Nepal who served the mission for two years. General Obi will command about 10,000 international troops, military observers, and staff officers. The Nigerian officer previously held operational, command and staff positions in the Nigerian army, and before joining the mission he was serving as Chief of Training and Operations in the Nigerian Army Headquarters. His international experience includes assignments at the UN mission in Lebanon in 1981, the UN mission in Sierra Leone in 2000, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) monitoring group in Liberia, the Multinational Joint Task Force Lake Chad and the ECOWAS Monitoring Group in Sierra Leone.

The newly appointed UNMIS Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Moses Bisong Obi, arrived in Sudan on 29 May. He replaces Lt. Gen. Paban Jung Thapa of Nepal who served the mission for two years. General Obi will command about 10,000 international troops, military observers, and staff officers. The Nigerian officer previously held operational, command and staff positions in the Nigerian army, and before joining the mission he was serving as Chief of Training and Operations in the Nigerian Army Headquarters. His international experience includes assignments at the UN mission in Lebanon in 1981, the UN mission in Sierra Leone in 2000, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) monitoring group in Liberia, the Multinational Joint Task Force Lake Chad and the ECOWAS Monitoring Group in Sierra Leone.The United Nations Mission in Sudan is tasked with keeping the peace between the armed forces loyal to the ruling parties of North and South Sudan. UNMIS is distinct from the peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID.