UNITED NATIONS, July 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday appointed Guang Cong as his new special envoy for the Horn of Africa.

Cong succeeds Hanna Serwaa Tetteh of Ghana, to whom the secretary-general is "grateful for her leadership and dedicated service" to the organization, said Stephanie Tremblay, associate spokesperson for the UN chief, at a daily briefing.

Cong brings decades of international affairs experience to this position, with over 23 years of service in various UN peace operations, and a significant portion of this time was dedicated to the broader Horn of Africa region, said a statement issued by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

He currently serves as deputy special representative (political) for South Sudan and deputy head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

Prior to joining the United Nations in 2002, Cong had a distinguished career in China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the statement. ■