United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Major General Jawwad Ahmed of Pakistan as the new Force Commander for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
Major General Ahmed succeeds Major General Md Fakhrul Ahsan of Bangladesh, who completed his assignment on 2 August 2026. The Secretary-General is grateful to Major General Ahsan for his exemplary service and leadership of MINURSO.
Major General Ahmed brings to this position over 35 years of leadership and operational experience in the Pakistan Army and United Nations peacekeeping. He served as Director General in the Ministry of Defence in Rawalpindi, overseeing command and control, local governance and administration of all cantonment areas nationwide, comprising over 5.3 million citizens. Prior to this, he was the General Officer Commanding of an Infantry Division, Director General of the Inspection and Evaluation Directorate at General Headquarters, and Force Commander Northern Areas.
Major General Ahmed’s other senior appointments include Brigade Commander in cantonment and in the field area at high altitude regions and Chief Instructor at the National Command and Staff College, Quetta. Earlier in his career, he served with the Pakistani Battalion in the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium, Croatia.
Major General Ahmed holds a Master of Science in Art and Science of Warfare and a Master of Philosophy in Public Policy and Strategic Security Management from National Defence University, Pakistan, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Security and Strategy for Global Leaders from King’s College, London, United Kingdom. In addition to his native Urdu, he is fluent in English and has working knowledge of French.