30 June 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the African Union Chairperson have appointed Mr. Djibril Yipènè Bassolé of Burkina Faso as Joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur. Mr. Bassolé will conduct the mediation efforts in Sudan on a full-time basis. He will be based in El Fasher. UN and AU Special Envoys for Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, will remain available for advice and engagement as required.

Mr. Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, who is 51 years old, comes to this position with extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and mediation processes. Since 2007, Mr. Bassolé has been serving as his country’s Foreign Minister. Between 2000 and 2007, he was Minister of Security and played a key role in facilitating the Ouagadougou Agreement of 2007 signed between President Laurent Gbagbo of Côte d’Ivoire and Forces Nouvelles leader (now Prime Minister) Guillaume Soro.

Mr. Bassolé also worked as a Member of the Mediation Committee for the ‘Touareg’ conflict in Niger (1994 - 1995) and was a Member of the International Committee for the monitoring of the elections in Togo (1993 - 1994).

New York
30 June 2008