The Diplomat
The Spanish General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz will take command of the United Nations mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), at a delicate moment for the stability and future of the country, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Aroldo Lázaro, a Major General in the Spanish Army, was chosen as the new Head of Mission and Commander of UNIFIL by the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, after a long selection process. This will be the second time that Spain will be at the head of this mission in which more than 10,000 blue helmets and 800 civilians from 46 countries participate.
The official appointment of General Lázaro Sáenz as head of UNIFIL, replacing Italian General Stefano del Col, was previously communicated to the UN Security Council and he is expected to take up his post at the end of February.
The UNIFIL mission aims to ensure peace on the Lebanese-Israeli border, facilitate humanitarian access to the civilian population, and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons. To this end, it supports the capabilities and modernisation of the Lebanese Armed Forces and their work south of the Litani River, on the border with Israel.
Spain has been present in this mission uninterruptedly since September 2006. The Spanish armed forces are in command of the so-called Eastern sector, which includes countries as diverse as El Salvador, Serbia and Brazil.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated the general, stressing that his appointment also represents recognition of Spain’s commitment to United Nations peace operations since 1989. It also pointed out that, with more than 630 military personnel, civil guards and national police deployed in the field, Spain continues to occupy a relevant position among the main troop contributors.
To date, Spain has deployed more than 25,000 military personnel, who have carried out more than 700 quick-impact projects for the Lebanese population.
According to the Ministry of Defence, General Lázaro is very knowledgeable about Lebanon and the mission, where he has been deployed on three occasions and has been chief general of Sector East.
His career highlights include his postings at the headquarters of the Rapid Operational Euroforce (Florence), at the High Readiness Multinational Ground Headquarters (Valencia), the command of the Mechanised Brigade ‘Guzmán el Bueno’ and the command of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment ‘La Reina’ (Córdoba).
In addition to his three deployments to Lebanon, General Lázaro has participated three other times in the Peacekeeping Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina under United Nations (UNPROFOR), NATO (SFOR) and European Union (EUFOR) command, respectively.
He was promoted to Major General in 2020 and was appointed Director of Army Personnel Assistance. His academic training includes Spanish and NATO Staff courses, the Civil-Military Cooperation course, the Gender Advisor in Operations, Recovery and Stabilisation Strategies and Strategic Leadership in the Global Social Security Environment courses, as well as his participation as a speaker and as a student in numerous seminars and forums.
In addition, he is fluent in English, French and Italian and holds several national and foreign military awards.
Currently, more than 10,300 military personnel from 46 countries and 800 civilians are participating in UNIFIL, deployed in the area bounded by the Litani River to the north and the so-called ‘Blue Line’ to the south, with 55 positions across the more than 1,000 square kilometres of the area of operations.
UNIFIL is the only UN peacekeeping mission with a maritime component patrolling the Mediterranean waters along the Lebanese coast. To date, a total of 15 countries, including Spain, have participated in this naval force, made up of warships from five countries with around 850 troops.
It is an operation that maintains a high level of activity in its area of operations, with around 13,500 actions per month, day and night.
