United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Major General Gnakoudè Béréna of Togo as the Force Commander of the United Nations Operation in Côte d?Ivoire (UNOCI). Major General Béréna will replace Major General Abdul Hafiz of Bangladesh, whose tour of duty ends on 22 March 2011. The Secretary-General is grateful to Major General Hafiz for his exemplary service and contribution to the work of UNOCI.
Major General Béréna brings to this position a distinguished military career. Since joining the Togolese Army in 1976, he commanded a motorized rapid reaction regiment in 1993, a paratrooper regiment from 1994 to 1998 and an infantry regiment from 1998 to 1999. From 1999 to 2009, Major General Béréna has served as the Chief of Army Staff. Since 2009, Major General Béréna has served as Special Adviser to the President of the Republic of Togo.
From 1993 to 1994, Major General Béréna served as Sector Commander with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) and between 1998 and 1999 as Force Commander with the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Guinea-Bissau.
Major General Béréna was born in 1953 in Pya-Gnama. He is married.
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Fonte: UN