He will also serve as the UN Secretary General’s Personal Representative to the sub-region.

The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, on April 30, 2014, appointed Prof. Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal as the head of the United Nations political office tasked with helping to consolidate peace and prevent conflict in the Central African sub-region.

The UN News Centre said Prof. Bathily, who succeeds Abou Moussa of Chad, will serve both as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Central Africa and the head of the UN regional office, known as UNOCA. Abou Moussa is retiring after three years at the head of the institution and 34 years of career in the UN.

With headquarters in Libreville, Gabon, UNOCA has been working since March 2011 to support the efforts of Central African nations to consolidate peace and prevent conflict, as well as to tackle cross-border challenges such as arms trafficking and organised crime. It works closely with the Economic Community of Central African States, ECCAS.

Prof. Abdoulaye Bathily holds doctorate degrees in Literature and History. He taught History for 30 years at the Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar. He was Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the United Nations Multi-dimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) since July 2013.

Before joining the UN, he held several governmental functions. He was notably Minister of State to the President in 2012 after being Minister of Environment and Protection of Nature from 1993-1998 and that of the Energy and Hydraulics. Elected parliamentarian in 1998, he was Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly from 2001 to 2006.

Kimeng Hilton NDUKONG