Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Ghana Armed Forces (GAF)) – Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Thomas Oppong-Peprah, has congratulated Major General (Maj Gen) Anita Asmah on her appointment as Head of Mission and Force Commander of United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).
On Friday, 13 December 2024 at the General Headquarters, Burma Camp Accra, Lt Gen Oppong-Peprah attributed Maj Gen Asmah’s appointment to her hard work, resilience and professional posture, during her tenure as Deputy Force Commander, previously.
Maj Gen Asmah, who succeeds Lt Gen Nirmal Kumar Thapa of Nepal – who will complete his tour of duty in mid-December 2024 – expressed her gratitude to Lt Gen Oppong-Peprah for his support and direction, which she believes contributed to her new appointment.
UNDOF was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 350 (1974) on 31 May 1974 to: 1) Maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Syria; 2) Supervise the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces; and 3) Supervise the areas of separation and limitation, as provided in the May 1974 Agreement on Disengagement.
The mandate of UNDOF has been renewed every six months, and Israel and Syria are obliged to “scrupulously and fully respect” the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.
With her appointment by the UN Secretary-General – His Excellency Antonio Guterres as the Head of Mission, and Force Commander of UNDOF, Ghana’s Maj Gen Anita Asmah becomes the UN’s first African woman Force Commander.
Credit: Office of the CDS, GAF
