UN chief appoints new MONUSCO force commander

UNITED NATIONS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday announced the appointment of Elias Rodrigues Martins Filho of Brazil as force commander of the Unite Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

Lieutenant General Filho succeeds Lieutenant General Derrick Mbuyiselo Mgwebi of South Africa, who completed his assignment on Jan. 31, 2018, "to whom the secretary-general is grateful for his dedicated leadership as head of the MONUSCO military component," according to a press release.

Filho "has had a distinguished military career" with the Brazilian Armed Forces spanning more than 35 years. He is currently serving as the Chief of Office of the International Organizations Office at the Ministry of Defense of Brazil since 2017, the press release said.

Filho also "has extensive peacekeeping experience," having served as planning officer in the Force Generation Service in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations from 2005 to 2008, according to the press release.

Filho holds a post-graduate degree in international relations from the University of Brasilia and graduated from the Defense War College of the Escola Superior de Guerra.

Born in 1960, he is married and has three children. Enditem