Anita Asmah (born February 1965) is aGhanaianBrigadier General and lawyer who has served as Head of Mission and Force Commander of theUnited Nations Disengagement Observer Force since December 2024.
Asmah was born in February 1965.[1] She has six siblings.[2] Her father was a Colonel in the Armed Forces and she attended prepatory school inBurma Camp and at the Armed Forces experimental school.[2] She then attendedAburi Girls' Senior High School.[3]
Asmah graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in modern languages (English, French and Arabic) from theUniversity of Ghana.[2][4] She returned to the University later to obtain aBachelor of Laws and then obtained apracticing certificate from theGhana School of Law.[2][4] She has completed various military training courses including a Mission Training Officer's Course inCroatia and a Women in Leadership course atKennesaw State University in the US.[5]
Asmah was commissioned into theGhana Armed Forces in 1992.[6][5] She rose through the ranks to take on roles including Director of Education, Deputy Military Secretary, and Course Director at theKofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.[6]
Asmah was a military observer in theUnited Nations Organization Mission in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo from 2003 to 2004.[4] She was a staff officer in theUnited Nations Interim Force in Lebanon from 2012 to 2013 and again from 2015 to 2016.[4] She served as Director General in the Department of Defence Civilian Establishment of the Ghana Armed Forces from 2021 until 2023.[4]
Asmah served as Deputy Force Commander of theUnited Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) from 2021 to 2023, including serving as Acting Force Commander between July and November 2022.[7] On 11 December 2024, UNSecretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres announced Asmah as Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNDOF.[4] She is the first African woman to hold the position.[3] She formally took command fromPatrick Gauchat on 4 February 2025 in a HOTO Ceremony at Camp Faouar inSyria.[8]
Asmah is an advocate forgender equality and praised the UN'sUniformed Gender Parity Strategy saying, "Only by excelling in our responsibilities can we pave the way for more women to take on command positions and truly transform the landscape of peacekeeping operations."[1]
Asmah has one daughter.[2]