1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Eritrea

UNMEE deputy representative appointed

The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a new deputy special representative for the UN mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). The new deputy, Sissel Ekaas, a Norwegian national was previously the Director of the Gender and Population Division in the UN Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO's) Sustainable Development Department, according to UN News. Ekass would be based in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, and is expected to assume her new post by the end of November, UN News said. She will be one of two UNMEE deputy special representatives. The other deputy, Cheikh-Tidiane Gaye, is based in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. UNMEE has been in the region since July 2000 to liase with Ethiopia and Eritrea, and to establish a mechanism to verify the ceasefire put in place after the two countries fought a two-year border war in the late 1990s. The conflict claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced many more.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join