APA-Maputo (Mozambique) United Nations secretary general António Guterres has appointed former Mozambican foreign minister Leonardo Santos Simão as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, the UN announced on Tuesday.
The Mozambican would also serve as chairperson of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission.
“Simão succeeds Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh of Chad, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and leadership of UNOWAS and the Mixed Commission,” the global body said in a statement.
Simão served was Mozambique’s health minister from 1988 to 1994 before becoming foreign minister between 1994 and 2005.
Prior to the latest appointment he was a special envoy for President Filipe Nyusi from 2021 to 2022.
He also chaired the Southern African Development Community peace mediation technical team for Madagascar between 2009 and 2014.
JN/APA