UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Nicholas Haysom of South Africa as his special representative for Somalia and head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, Guterres’ press office said Wednesday.
Haysom will succeed Michael Keating of Britain.
Haysom, born in 1952, is a lawyer with a long international career with a focus on democratic governance, constitutional and electoral reforms, reconciliation and peace processes, said the press office.
He is currently the secretary-general’s special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, a position he has held since 2016. Prior to this, he served as the UN chief’s special representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
In his earlier career, Haysom served in the government of South Africa. He was involved in the Burundian peace process from 1999 to 2002, and in the Sudan peace process from 2002 to 2005.