United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Friday the appointment of Major General Muhammad Tayyab Azam of Pakistan as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), said a UN press release.

Major General Azam will succeed Major General Major Imam Edy Mulyono of Indonesia, whose tour of duty ends on 17 September 2015.  The Secretary-General is grateful to Major General Mulyono for his exemplary service and contribution to the work of MINURSO since July 2013.

Major General Azam brings to this position 30 years of national and international military experience.  He currently serves as Inspector General of the Frontier Corps and prior to that has served as Director General and Deputy Director of the Intelligence Services from 2010 to 2014.  He commanded an infantry brigade from 2009 to 2010.  Major General Muhammad Azam has also served as United Nations Military Observer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2000 to 2001.

He has a Master’s degrees in defence and strategic studies from the National Defense University of Islamabad and in international affairs from the Balochistan University in Pakistan.

Born in 1966, Major General Azam is married and has four children.