Major General Ganesh Kumar Shrestha
Acting Head of Mission and Force Commander
Nepal
On 25 January 2025, Major General Ganesh Kumar Shrestha of Nepal assumed the leadership of UNISFA following his appointment by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on 2 December 2025. He succeeds Major General Robert Yaw Affram of Ghana, who served the mission for one and half years.
Major General Shrestha brings 36 years of distinguished military service in the Nepali Army and extensive UN Peacekeeping experience. Prior to his appointment, he recently served as the Assistant Chief of the Army Staff at the Nepali Army Headquarters, having previously held several senior leadership positions at the Army Headquarters including Master General of Ordnance, Division Commander of the Far Western Division, Administrative Register of Shree Birendra Military Hospital, Director of Policy and Plans, and Brigade Commander of the No 16 and No 9 Brigade HQs.
His peacekeeping experience includes serving as Sector Commander for Sector East in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Assistant Operations OfficerUNPROFOR in Croatia, Military Observerwith MONUC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and UNSOM in Somalia.
Major General Shrestha holds a master’s degree in military science and strategic studies from the International College of Defence Studies, National Defence University, China. He also earned a master’s degree in economics and a bachelor’s degree in humanities and social sciences from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. Aside from his native Nepali, he is fluent in English and has a working knowledge of Hindi.
Alexander Stephane Gerard Rose
Mission Chief of Staff
France
Mr. Alexander Rose is the Mission Chief of Staff for UNISFA. He has worked with the United Nations for over 20 years, serving both in peacekeeping operations and in special political missions. During this time, he held a range of critical roles including as Humanitarian Affairs Officer, Political Affairs Officer, Best Practices Officer, Strategic Planning Officer and his current role in UNISFA.
His extensive experience includes strategic planning, conflict resolution, mission leadership, and humanitarian coordination, contributing significantly to the UN’s efforts in diverse environments.
Mr. Rose holds a PhD in Geopolitics and an MBA from the Ecole Superieur de Commerce de Paris.
Ms. Uchenna Odenigbo
Chief of Mission Support
Nigeria
Ms. Uchenna Odenigbo is the Chief of Mission Support Division of UNISFA. She assumed her role in October 2024. Ms. Odenigbo has a wealth of leadership experience, having worked across various government institutions, international consulting firms, and the UN. She has served in several United Nations Peace Operations. She spent 11 years at the UN Headquarters Field Budget and Finance Division of the Department of Field Support.
Before joining UNISFA, Ms. Odenigbo served as the Chief of Mission Support (CMS) of the UN Support Mission in Libya. Prior to that, she was the CMS of the United Nations Office for Central Africa in Libreville, the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission and the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan.
She also served as Operations Manager at the Regional Service Centre in Entebbe. She led the DFS IPSAS project, which established the financial valuation of real estate assets across DFS-administered missions. She has considerable expertise in mission support, budget management, crisis management, mission start-ups, and liquidation activities.
Ms. Odenigbo is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), United Kingdom. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Management (MBA) from Oxford Brookes University.
Brigadier General Ameer Muhammad Umrani
Deputy Force Commander
Pakistan
Brig. Gen. Ameer Umrani is the Deputy Force Commander of UNISFA, having assumed his appointment in March 2024. He has a distinguished military career with the Pakistan Army spanning over 26 years. He has commanded both an infantry battalion and an infantry brigade, demonstrating strong leadership in operational settings. His Staff Officer appointments include key roles at Formation Headquarters and the Army Headquarters. Additionally, he has also served as instructor at the School of Infantry & Tactics as well as Command & Staff College, Quetta.
His previous experience with peacekeeping includes as UN Peacekeeper in Burundi from 2005-2006.
Brig. Gen. Umrani is an alumnus of the National Defence University Islamabad and the Command and Staff College Quetta. He also holds a MPhil degree in Public Policy & Strategic Security Management.
Helmey Hilma Laudika Abraham
Police Commissioner
Namibia
Police Commissioner Helmey Hilma Laudika Abraham from Namibia joined UNISFA in July 2025. A seasoned senior police officer with a distinguished career in the Namibian Police Force spanning nearly 30 years, Ms. Abraham has held several positions, including Technical Advisor to the Inspector General of Police on PSO and Cabinet decisions.
Prior to her deployment to UNISFA, she served as Division Head of International Relations since 2017.
Previously, she served with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) as the Deputy Chief of UNPOL Rotations, Training Officer, Community Policing Officer, and Gender, Child and Vulnerable Persons Protection Officer.
Ms. Abraham also served as Deputy Police Commissioner of the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) Concurrently heading the Mission Training Team, coordinating efforts with the AU, KAIPTC, IPSTC and UN agencies. She is the founder of the SAMIM Women Network.
She serves as the Women’s Network Coordinator for Police National Headquarters and the National Focal Point on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) for the Namibian Police Force. Additionally, she is seconded as Directing Staff to the Namibia International Women’s Peace Centre (IWPC), where she plays a key role in supporting the operationalization National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325, focusing on Women, Peace, and Security.
Ms. Abraham holds a Master of Arts degree in Managing Peace and Security in Africa from Addis Ababa University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice Studies from the Namibia University of Science and Technology.
Boris-Ephrem Tchoumavi
Chief Community Liaison Officer
Côte d'Ivoire
Mr. Tchoumavi has over 18 years of experience with the United Nations. He joined UNISFA in September 2021 as the Chief Community Liaison Officer, after serving as Senior Political Affairs Officer in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya.
Prior to this, he served as the Senior Political Advisor to the UN Resident Coordinator for Burkina Faso. He also served as Political Affairs Officer with MINUSCA, UNOCA, MINUSMA and in the Department of Political Affairs in New York, supporting high-level UN leadership in the design and implementation of prevention, political, mediation and good office initiatives.
Previously, Mr. Tchoumavi served as a Human Rights Officer in the Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He also served as an Associate Gender and Governance Expert with the UN Economic Commission for Africa.
An alumnus of the Prytanee Ministaire of Saint-Louis (Senegal), Mr. Tchoumavi holds a Maitrise de droits des affaires of the University of Cocody and a LL.M in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa from the University of Pretoria.
Galbadrakh Togoo
Chief, Supply Chain Management
Mongolia
Mr. Togoo is a supply chain and logistics expert with extensive experience in military and international operations. He is currently UNISFA’s Chief of Supply Chain Management Pillar where he oversees end-to-end supply chain operations and ensures effective planning, guidance, and coordination of all supply chain areas for mission success.
Previously he held key leadership positions, including Chief Supply Officer, Chief Logistics Officer, and Chief of Division, Deputy Chief of General Staff overseeing critical aspects of logistics, service delivery and supply chain as well as strategic management in the Ministry of Defense, General Staff and Logistics Corps of the Mongolian Armed Forces. His expertise extends beyond national defense, having served in multiple United Nations field missions, where he played a pivotal role in logistics planning, service delivery, and coordination of operational support for military contingents.
He holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College and a Master of Arts in Defense Studies from King’s College London. He has also completed specialized training in logistics, procurement, and military operations at renowned institutions such as NATO School Oberammergau and the Naval Postgraduate School. Under his leadership, UNISFA transition task force successfully implemented reconfiguration of the Force between 2021 and 2022.