ON Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Nigerian Maj. General Benjamin Sawyerr as the Force Commander for the UN Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA).
According to NAN, Sawyerr succeeds Ethiopian Major General Kefyalew Amde Tessema, to whom Guterres expresses gratitude for his dedication, excellent leadership, and invaluable service throughout his time at UNISFA.
Abyei is an area of 10,546 km2 on the border between Sudan and South Sudan that had been accorded “special administrative status” by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict (Abyei Protocol) in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War.
Meanwhile, Sawyerr has served in the Nigerian Army for over 34 years and most recently served as the Director of Defence Information for the Nigerian Defense Forces since 2021.
He was previously the Commandant of the Nigerian Army Armour School in Bauchi, Nigeria’s north-eastern state (2020-2021).
In North-East Nigeria, Sawyerr served as Brigade Commander twice.
He was also the Nigerian Battalion’s Commanding Officer with the UN Mission in Liberia (2009-2010).
Sawyerr was also the Director of Plans and Deputy Director of Doctrine and Combat Development at the Nigerian Army Headquarters (2019-2020). (2017-2018).
He graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in defense and strategic studies from the University of Madras in India.
