UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday appointed Abdou Abarry of Niger as his special representative for Central Africa and head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA).

Abarry succeeds Francois Lounceny Fall of Guinea. The secretary-general is grateful for Fall's dedication and excellent leadership of UNOCA over the past five and a half years, according to a press note issued by the secretary-general's office.

Currently, Abarry is Niger's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York. He previously served as the special representative of the chairperson of the African Union and head of the African Union Liaison Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.