MINURSO bids farewell to Force Commander Major General Zia Ur Rehman
On 21 March 2022, MINURSO organized a farewell military parade in honor of the outgoing Force Commander Major General Zia Ur Rehman (Pakistan) who leaves MINURSO having served during a remarkable three years. The Ceremony took place at the Mission’s HQ in Laayoune in the presence of SRSG and Head of MINURSO Alexander Ivanko, Mission leadership, senior officers and members of MINURSO’s military and civilian personnel.
Major-General Ur Rehman’s tenure in MINURSO included what the Secretary-General has called “the resumption of hostilities” in late 2020 and a host of other operational crises. He also oversaw the Mission’s military pillar’s effects to mitigate the effects of a global pandemic, putting in place a series of measures that effectively kept MINURSO military observers safe and contributed substantively to the Mission’s fight against Covid-19. The Force Commander also oversaw a dramatic growth in the number of women serving in MINURSO—the mission now has over 30% female personnel in the ranks of its uniformed services. This is up from under 5% just a couple of years ago.
Until a new Force Commander is appointed, Commadore Faustina Boakyewaa Anokye (Ghana), the Mission’s Deputy Force Commander will function as the Officer-in-Charge of MINURSO’s military component.