Major General of Bangladesh appointed MINURSO Force Commander

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced Thursday the appointment of Major General Fakhrul Ahsan of Bangladesh as Force Commander of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the UN said in a statement.

Major General Ahsan succeeds Major General Zia Ur Rehman of Pakistan who completed his assignment at the end of March 2022, according to the statement published on the UN website.

Major General Ahsan has over 34 years of national and international military leadership experience with the Bangladeshi Army.

He served as General Officer Commanding, of the 10th infantry division, and as Area Commander of the Cox's Bazar Area, as Commander of the Bangladeshi Military Academy, and as Brigade Commander in the 16th and 69th Infantry Brigade.

He was also the director of the Military Intelligence at the Bangladeshi Army Headquarter and as Assistant Defence Attaché at Bangladeshi High Commission in New Delhi, India.

Major General Ahsan has previously served in two peacekeeping missions, in Somalia (UNOSOM-II) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).

Major General Ahsan holds a Bachelor of Science, a Master's Degree in Development Studies and a Master's Degree in Defence Studies.