OAU military appointment

The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) announced the appointment of Brigadier-General Peter Augustine Blay of the Ghana Armed Forces to be the OAU Representative on the Military Coordination Commission (MCC) for Ethiopia-Eritrea. Secretary-General of the OAU, Salim Ahmed Salim, appointed Blay on 20 November.

A statement released from the OAU headquarters in Addis Ababa said that the cessation of hostilities agreement signed in Algeria, 18 June, between Ethiopia and Eritrea, made provisions for the establishment of the MCC as one of the main instruments for facilitating the functions of the peacekeeping missions. It was established for “coordinating and resolving issues related to the work of the peacekeeping mission and dealing with military issues arising during the implementation of the Agreement,” said the statement.

The Commission has been established jointly by the UN and the OAU and is chaired by the Force Commander of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), with representation from the parties and the OAU Liaison Mission in Ethiopia-Eritrea (OLMEE).

Blay served with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon from 1982-83 and also as a military observer to the UN in 1992-93. Until his appointment as the OAU representative to the MCC, Blay was the Director for Research and Development at the General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces, said the statement.