UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix will travel to Ethiopia and Sudan on Monday to discuss with senior government officials issues related to the UN peacekeeping in the region, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.
Lacroix will be joined during his trip by UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga.
“The head of our peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will be traveling to Ethiopia and Sudan. He will be there starting Monday until September 9,” Dujarric said.
“In Addis Ababa, they [Lacroix and Onanga-Anyanga] will meet with senior Ethiopian government officials as well as African Union officials to discuss peacekeeping issues,” he added.
Dujarric said the two UN officials will travel to Khartoum, Sudan, on Thursday to discuss the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and meet with the Sudanese authorities and the Co-Chairs of the Abyei Oversight Committee.
Lacroix and Onanga-Anyanga will then visit Abyei, where they will engage with local leaders and UNISFA staff, Dujarric also said.
After completing the trip, Lacroix will travel to South Sudan, where he will stay until September 12, Dujarric said.