New Pakistani commander of MINURSO force in Moroccan Sahara

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, appointed Pakistani Major General Jawad Ahmed as the head of the military force of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Sahara (MINURSO), replacing Bengali General Fakhroo Muhammad al-Ihsan, who completed his command. This designation comes at a time when nations are United closely updates the regional dossier, following a series of international recognitions of the Moroccan autonomy scheme as a realistic solution to the conflict. MINURSO mission since 1991 The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in the Sahara (MINURSO) was established by Security Council resolution 690 of 1991, following the ceasefire agreement between Morocco and the Frente POLISARIO. Although the original name of the mission was associated with the organization of a referendum on self-determination, this part of the mandate was never activated, and its mission shifted in practice to monitoring the ceasefire along the security fence, while the Security Council renews its mandate annually through a new resolution. Who is the new leader? Major General Jawad Ahmad has long military experience within the Pakistani army, and Islamabad has previously contributed military elements and observers to multiple UN operations in Africa. His task will include supervising the ceasefire in place since 1991 and following the movements of the parties along the security fence. A Shifting Diplomatic Context in Favor of Rabat Jawad Ahmed replaces Bengali General Fakhroo Muhammad al-Ihsan, who has led the UN mission in recent years. The change in the leadership of the military mission comes at a sensitive political stage, as the autonomy plan submitted by Morocco in 2007 to resolve the Sahara conflict has received successive acknowledgments from influential countries on the international scene in recent years, which has strengthened Rabat's position within the international corridors, while the United Nations continues to call for the resumption of the track of political negotiations under the auspices of its UN envoy. Source: Hespress