Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh
New York (UNA-OIC) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday announced the appointment of Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh of Chad as his new Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
Mahamat Saleh succeeds Mohamed Ibn Chambas of Ghana to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service and effective leadership at the helm of UNOWAS.
Mahamat Saleh, who has served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) since 2015, brings to the position extensive national and international experience having taken part in several peace processes in Africa, including in Niger, the Central African Republic and Sudan.
He was the African Union Special Representative and Head of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) (2012-2014) and served in Chad as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997-2003), Chief of Staff to the President (2004-2006) and Secretary-General to the Presidency (2010-2012). Mahamat Saleh also served as Permanent Representative of the African Union Commission to the European Union (2006-2010).
Mahamat Saleh holds an engineering degree in telecommunications from the Polytechnic School of Madagascar and is fluent in English, French and Arabic.
