United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Major General Anita Asmah from Ghana as the new Head of Mission and Force Commander for the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).Major General Asmah takes over from Lieutenant General Nirmal Kumar Thapa of Nepal, who will finish his term in mid-December 2024.

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 The Secretary-General thanked Lieutenant General Thapa for his strong leadership and commitment to United Nations peacekeeping.Major General Asmah brings 31 years of experience in leadership and command with the Ghana Armed Forces and in UN peacekeeping missions. Recently, she served as the Director General in the Ghana Armed Forces' Department of Defence Civilian Establishment.

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She was also the Deputy Force Commander of UNDOF from 2021 to 2023.In addition, Major General Asmah has worked as a Staff Officer with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 2015-2016 and 2012-2013, and as a Military Observer with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in 2003-2004.

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She has held other senior roles in the Ghanaian Armed Forces, including Director of Education, Deputy Military Secretary, and Course Director at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.Major General Asmah has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Ghana. She is fluent in both English and French.

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