United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Pakistan Army Major General Jawwad Ahmed as the new Force Commander of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO. The announcement was made in mid-August 2026. He takes over from Major General Md Fakhrul Ahsan of Bangladesh, whose term ended on 2 August.
Major General Ahmed brings more than 35 years of leadership and operational experience from the Pakistan Army and earlier United Nations service. In Pakistan he has held several senior posts. These include Director General in the Ministry of Defence, where he managed command, local governance and administration of cantonment areas that serve over 5.3 million people.
He also served as General Officer Commanding of an infantry division, Force Commander of the Northern Areas, and Director General of the Inspection and Evaluation Directorate at General Headquarters. Other roles included brigade command in high-altitude areas and Chief Instructor at the National Command and Staff College in Quetta.
Earlier in his career he served with a Pakistani battalion in the UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium in Croatia.
