The UN Secretary-General A. Guterres today announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Mohammad Asadullah Minkhazul ‘Alam as Commander of the Peacekeeping Force of the United Nations in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

Major General Minhajul Alam succeeds Major General Ernest Batsuri from Mongolia, to whom the Secretary-General expressed his deep appreciation for his dedication and service.

The new Commander brings more than 30 years of experience in leadership and command positions in the Bangladesh Army. He most recently joined the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command as the General Commander, and previously served as the General Commander of the 10th Infantry Division and Area Commander at Cox’s Bazar from 2024-2026, and as the Commander of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in 2024.

Earlier in his career, he held multiple command and staff positions in infantry formations, including assignments in counterterrorism, homeland security, disaster response, and intelligence-based operations.

He also served in United Nations peacekeeping missions, as a Sector Commander in the United Nations Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic during 2020-2021 and as a military observer in the United Nations Transitional Administration in Timor-Leste during 1999-2000.

Major General Minhajul Alam holds a PhD in International Relations from Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh, a Master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defence University in Washington DC, a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from the National University of Bangladesh, and an MBA from the Royal University of Dhaka. Apart from his mother tongue, he is fluent in English.