U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday appointed Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal as the head of the U.N. political office tasked with helping to consolidate peace and prevent conflict in the Central African region. Bathily, who has many years of political, diplomatic, and academic experience, will serve both as the secretary-general's special representative for Central Africa and the head of the U.N. regional office, known as UNOCA. Bathily succeeds Abou Moussa of Chad, to whom the Ban is grateful for "his leadership and important accomplishments" during his tenure at UNOCA, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. Headquartered in Libreville, Gabon, UNOCA has been working since March 2011 to support the efforts of Central African nations to consolidate peace and prevent conflict, as well as to tackle cross-border challenges such as arms trafficking and organized crime.
