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UN chief appoints new head of UN mission in Liberia

Xinhua, August 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Wednesday announced the appointment of Farid Zarif of Afghanistan as his special representative for Liberia and head of the UN mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

Zarif will succeed Karin Landgren of Sweden, who completed her assignment in July 2015, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing.

Born in 1951, Zarif is currently Ban's special representative to Kosovo and head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). He once served in political, humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in Eritrea, Liberia, South Africa, Iraq and Sudan, said Dujarric.

UNMIL was set up in 2003 to bolster a ceasefire agreement after a civil war killed almost 150,000 Liberians -- mostly civilians -- and forced some 850,000 others to flee to neighboring countries.

The mission is also tasked with humanitarian assistance, civilian protection as well as peace process support in Liberia. Endite