Birhanu Jula Gelalcha (, born 1965) is an Ethiopian military officer who is the current Chief of General Staff of the

Ethiopian National Defense Force The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) () is the combined military force of Ethiopia. ENDF is consisted of 10 command forces which is controlled by the Chief of General Staff. Commanders of the Military Supreme Commander – Taye At ...

since 4 November 2020. He served as the Force Commander of the

United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) is a United Nations peacekeeping force in Abyei, which is contested between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan. UNISFA was approved on 27 June 2011 by the United Nati ...

(UNISFA) from 2014 to 2016.

Biography

Birhanu holds a bachelor's degree from Alpha University College and a master's degree from

Greenwich University The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along wit ...

, both in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

. In 2006, Birhanu worked with the UN Mission in

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

and held the position of Sector Commander. He has also held various other positions with the army including with the

Ministry of National Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

, the Cadet School and Brigade Operations. From 2006 to 2009, he was the army's Deputy Commander of the Central Command. In 2010, Birhanu was appointed Commander of the Western Command in the Ethiopian Army. Birhanu was appointed as Force Commander of UNISFA on 21 November 2014 by United Nations Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...

. At the time, he was a major general. He was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

sometime before 9 December 2015. His term ended on 15 January 2016 with the appointment of Major General

Hassen Ebrahim Mussa General Hassen Ebrahim Mussa is an Ethiopian general who served as the Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) from 2016–2017. Biographical information General Mussa is a graduate of the Open University ...

. On 8 January 2022, Birhanu was promoted to

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

(or "Field Marshal General", the rank varies among sources) by prime minister Abiy Ahmed and president

Sahle-Work Zewde Sahle-Work Zewde (; born 21 February 1950) is an Ethiopians, Ethiopian diplomat who served as president of Ethiopia from 2018 to 2024, the List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government, first woman to hold the office. She w ...

. He is awarded the Blacklion High Heroes Medal.

References

1965 births Living people Ethiopian generals Ethiopian officials of the United Nations Field marshals Military personnel of the Tigray war {{s-end