UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday announced the appointment of Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal as his special representative for Libya.
Bathily will also serve as head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), succeeding Jan Kubis of Slovakia, the UN chief's press office said in a statement.
Kubis resigned in November 2021. Diplomats said that the position of the special envoy has remained long vacant tells of the complexity and sensitivity surrounding the Libyan issue.
Bathily brings to the new position over 40 years of experience with his national government, academic institutions, regional organizations and the UN system.
In his most recent assignment with the UN, he served as the independent expert for the strategic review of UNSMIL in 2021.
He previously served as deputy special representative of the secretary-general in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, and as special representative for Central Africa and head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa in Gabon.
Bathily held various ministerial positions in the Senegalese government, including as senior minister in the Office of the President in charge of African Affairs. ■
