Major-General Anita Asmah is the first African woman to serve as a UN Force Commander. The 59-year-old is the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in December.
As a United Nations peacekeeping mission, UNDOF’s duties include maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria following the 1973 war and overseeing the disengagement agreement’s implementation.
Maj-Gen Asmah takes over from Nepal’s Lieutenant-General Nirmal Kumar Thapa, who served from July 2022 until June 2024.
Her impressive career includes more than 31 years in both UN Peacekeeping and the Ghana Armed Forces. Previously, Maj-Gen Asmah was UNDOF’s Deputy Force Commander from 2021 to 2023 and Acting Force Commander for a brief period from July to November 2022.
Maj-Gen Asmah emphasized her dedication to the mission, the region, and its people when reflecting on her time there. She also emphasized the strong relationships she has built with UN staff and local populations.
She does, however, see her new position as a chance to further address the issues facing the host communities.
She told the UN, in an interview, “I am happy and wholeheartedly accept this role to serve. I am so in love with the mission and the people. It is an opportunity to lessen their suffering.”
Maj-Gen Asmah emphasized the UNDOF team’s tenacity and competence, as well as her dependence on strategic leadership and diplomacy to accomplish the mission’s goals.
“I am up to the task,” she declared.
Maj-Gen Asmah, a fervent supporter of gender equality, commended the UN Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy (2018–2028) for increasing the number of women serving in peacekeeping. She urged women in the military and peacekeeping professions to perform to the best of their abilities and advocated for more incentives to increase parity.
She believes that “only by excelling in our responsibilities can we pave the way for more women to take on command positions and truly transform the landscape of peacekeeping operations.”
Her accomplishments demonstrate how Ghana was leading the way in Africa, Commodore Faustina Boakyewaa Anokye, former Deputy Force Commander for the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), said of Maj-Gen Asmah’s appointment. She further called on nations that provide troops to assign more senior women to leadership positions.
An Aburi Girls’ Senior High School graduate, Maj-Gen Asmah is skilled in French and English and has degrees in law and arts from the University of Ghana.
