United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Daniel Sidiki Traoré of Burkina Faso as the Force Commander of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Lieutenant General Traoré succeeds Lieutenant General Balla Keita of Senegal, who will complete his assignment on 29 February 2020.  The Secretary-General is grateful for his tireless dedication, invaluable service and effective leadership.

As the current Military Adviser to the Chief of General Defence Staff of Burkina Faso, Lieutenant General Traoré has had a distinguished career since joining the Army of Burkina Faso in 1977.  He also has extensive Peacekeeping experience, having recently served as Deputy Force Commander in MINUSCA in 2018, and as the Sector West Commander in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) from 2014 to 2016.  He also previously served as Sector Commander in the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in Western Darfur from 2012-2014.

Lieutenant General Traoré holds master’s degrees in Sociology and Human Resources from the University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, as well as a master’s degree in History and Archaeology from the University of Sorbonne, Paris.  He is fluent in English and French.