Lt. Gen. Sigdel is Nepal's new Army chief

The government of Nepal appointed Lieutenant General Ashokraj Sigdel as the Acting Chief of Army Staff of the Nepal Army with effect from Friday, an official statement said on Thursday. CoAS Prabhuram Sharma, who is going on a mandatory month's leave starting Friday before formally retiring on September 9, handed over the charge to Lt. Gen. Sigdel at a function held at the Nepal Army Headquarters on Thursday, according to the statement issued by Directorate of Military Public Relations and Information.

On the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, President Ram Chandra Paudel designated Lieutenant General Sigdel as the Acting CoAS effective from August 9, the statement said.