UN chief appoints new envoy in DRC

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Monday announced the appointment of German Martin Kobler to head the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Kobler will serve as Ban's Special Representative to the country and succeed Roger Meece of the United States, who will complete his assignment in July. Since 2011, Kobler has been the top UN official in Iraq with the UN Assistance Mission there (UNAMI). He was previously the Deputy Special Representative with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Prior to joining the UN, Kobler served for more than 25 years in his country's foreign service. With more than 17,000 military personnel, MONUSCO has a mandate to protect civilians, defend human rights under imminent threat of physical violence and support operations by the Congolese army.