Diodato Abagnara, an Italian general to head the Unifil mission in Lebanon from tomorrow
Abagnara will coordinate the work of almost 10,000 military personnel from 48 countries. It is the second largest contingent after the Indonesian one
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Key points
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His name is Diodato Abagnara and from next Tuesday, 24 June, he will be the new commander of Unifil, the United Nations mission created in 1978 and present on the southern border of Lebanon as an interposition force. Born in 1970, the general is the fifth Italian in history to hold this position, after Claudio Graziano, Paolo Serra, Luciano Portolano - the current Chief of Defence Staff - and Stefano Del Col. Originally from Pagani, in the province of Salerno, Abagnara will take the place of the Spanish Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz and will coordinate the work of almost 10,000 soldiers from 48 countries, 1,000 of whom from Italy. This is the second largest contingent after the Indonesian one.
Past experiences
.The general has a long professional career behind him, with assignments in Italy and abroad. He has been company commander in Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo. In the latter theatre of operations, he was also in charge of Cimic, the military structure that deals with cooperation with the civilian population. He recently served as commander and chairman of the Military Technical Committee for Lebanon. Previously, he was also head of the Personnel Division and advisor to the Chief of Defence Staff at the Defence General Staff, commander of an infantry brigade and head of the Officer Employment Office. From 2018 to 2019, he also served as commander of Unifil's western sector.
Studies and Honours
Abagnara also holds four degrees: Political Science in Turin, International and Diplomatic Science in Trieste, Management and Business Communication in Teramo and, finally, Strategic Sciences, also in Turin. His CV also boasts six master's degrees, including Law, Information Security, International Strategic Studies and Digital Leadership. In 2010 he was awarded the Bronze Cross of Merit of the Army while, in the following years, he was appointed first Knight, then Officer and finally Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In 2020, he was awarded the Silver Cross of Merit of the Army, while in 2021 he was made a Knight of the Military Order. Finally, also in 2020, Pope Francis awarded him the honour of Knight of the Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of St. Sylvester Pope for his commitment to the Unifil mission, where he led the peacekeepers of the Brigata Bersaglieri Garibaldi.
