United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Major General Wang Xiaojun of the People’s Republic of China as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

Major General Wang will succeed Major General Muhammad Tayyab Azam of Pakistan, whose tour of duty ended on 7 November 2016.  The Secretary-General is grateful to Major General Azam for his exemplary service and contribution to the work of MINURSO.

Major General Wang brings to this position 40 years of national and international military experience, having served as Defence Attaché at the Embassies of the People’s Republic of China to Brazil, India, Sweden and the United States of America from 2006 until 2016.  He also has served as a United Nations Sector Commander in MINURSO, from 2003 to 2004, and was a United Nations Military Observer in Kuwait from 1992 to 1993.

He has a master’s degree in military administration from the Military Science Institution of the People’s Liberation Army and a bachelor’s degree in signals technology and command from the Nanjing Army Command College, China.

Born in 1959, Major General Wang is married and has two children.