UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks at the United Nations headquarters in New York (USA) (Photo: Xinhua/ VNA)

Gebremariam succeeds Major General Gebre Adhana Woldezgu of Ethiopia who will complete his assignment on April 23, according to a press note from the UN chief's office.

UNISFA is a UN peacekeeping force in Abyei, which is contested between the Republic of Sudan and the newly independent Republic of South Sudan. The Ethiopian Army is the largest contributor of personnel in UNISFA.