Skip to main content

UN appoints Nigeria’s Olufemi Elias Registrar International Residual Mechanism

Olufemi Elias

Olufemi Elias

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced the appointment of Olufemi Elias as Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals with effect from Jan. 1, 2017.

Until his appointment, Elias has been serving as the Executive Secretary of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal since July, a position which he also held from 2008 to 2013.

He was the Legal Adviser and Director at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) from 2013 to 2016 and Senior Legal Officer at the OPCW from 2005 to 2008.

He worked in legal positions at the UN Compensation Commission between 1998 and 2005.

Elias is an associate member of the Institut de Droit International.

A member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), he holds a PhD from the University of London.

Elias also holds a Master of Law from the University of Cambridge and a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence from the University of Oxford.

Elias will succeed John Hocking of Australia.

Ban expressed gratitude to Hocking for his service, including his instrumental role in setting up the Mechanism and overseeing the construction of its new premises in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...

Fall of Assad is a Blow to Russia's Prestige

The potential fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-standing ally of Russia, would mark a turning point in Moscow’s global influence, particularly in the Middle East. Steve Rosenberg’s analysis underscores the profound implications for Russia, which has invested heavily—both militarily and politically—in ensuring Assad’s survival over the past decade. This article delves into why Assad’s downfall would strike at the core of Russian prestige and what it could mean for the broader geopolitical landscape. Russia's Strategic Commitment to Syria Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Russia has been a staunch supporter of Assad's regime. In 2015, Moscow launched a military intervention that proved decisive in stabilizing Assad’s hold on power. This intervention solidified Russia's role as a key power broker in the Middle East and demonstrated its willingness to project military power far beyond its borders. Syria is not just an ally for Russia; it is a...