Head of UN Mission in South Sudan Steps Down in November

Juba, South Sudan.

23 October 2016(Nyamilepedia) —– Ellen Margrethe Løj, the head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, has informed the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, that she will step down as soons as her terms comes to an end in November, two years of leading the Mission in a war-torn South Sudan.

Ms. Løj was appointed by the Secretary-General as his Special Representative and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in July 2014, replacing Ms. Hellen Johnson.  She assumed her duties in Juba in September, 2014.

[ad name=”Google Ads 03″]

Although leaving South Sudan, Ms. Løj will continue praying for South Sudan children and vulnerable majority to one day witness peace in their own country.

“Although the road ahead will be challenging, I remain hopeful that peace will prevail and that this young nation will finally live out its great promise. I look forward to the day where the girls and boys of South Sudan will never know the trauma of war again and will be able to actualize their full potential, Ms. Løj said in a statement released today by the Mission.

According to a statement seen by Nyamilepedia, Ms. Løj was to retire at the end of her current term, which expired at the end of August this year, however, she decided to stay passed the July renewal of war hoping that the situation could stabilize, however, the situation in South Sudan is escalating and fear of more violence is now taking toll.

Ms. Løj feels honored for her to have served as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in South Sudan for over two years. She will continue to advocate for a bright future for the people of South Sudan as she promised in her statement.

In New York, Mr. Ban’s spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, told reporters on Friday that “the Secretary-General is deeply appreciative of her lifetime of service to further the cause of peace and development, especially during her distinguished career with UN Peacekeeping having headed both UNMISS and the UN Mission in Liberia from 2008 to 2012.”

Mr. Dujarric  said “He[SG Ban ki Moon] is particularly thankful to SRSG Løj for her dedication, commitment and important contributions at the helm of UNMISS during extremely challenging times,”

[ad name=”match-content”]