Tuti Faal Explained
Tuti Faal, also known as Tuti Faal Jammeh (born c. 1953 in) is a former First Lady of the West African country of Gambia. As the first wife of President Yahya Jammeh, she was the First Lady from 1994 until her divorce in 1998.[1]
Biography
Tuti Faal's family came from Mauritania. Faal worked for Gambian communications company, Gambia Telecommunications Company (GAMTEL).
Yahya Jammeh married Tuti Faal in September 1994, a few months after his successful coup. It was Jammeh's first marriage.[2]
Tuti Faal spoke at the United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 regarding the situation of women in Gambia.[3] In October 1997, she travelled to the United States with her husband on an official trip abroad.[4]
Since she remained childless during their marriage, President Jammeh is said to have sent her to Saudi Arabia in 1997 for gynecological examinations. In December 1997, he married Zeinab Jammeh and divorced Tuti Faal while she was still abroad for medical treatment.[5] [6] After the divorce, Tuti Faal left the presidential State House and settled in her home village of .
She later spent two years in Mauritania before returning to Gambia in early 2006.[7] The Gambian press reported that Jammeh had a house built for her and visited her there regularly. There were also rumors of a new marriage to Jammeh.[8]
In 2015, she applied for political asylum in the United States and moved to Seattle, Washington.[9]
Notes and References
- News: Alieu K. . Darboe . Gambia: Madam Tuti Faal And Family Still Pledge Support for Jammeh . . 2002-01-09 . 2022-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20020111181403/http://allafrica.com/stories/200201090233.html . 2002-01-11 . dead.
- News: Ebrima . Sillah . Gambia election: Candidates' profiles . . 2001-10-17 . 2022-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220515120359/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1602897.stm . 2022-05-15 . live.
- News: Fourth World Conference On Women - Beijing, 4 - 15 September, 1995, Speech Delivered By Mrs. Tuti Faal-Jammeh, First Lady of the Gambia . . 1995-09-04 . 2022-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050227220021/https://www.un.org/esa/gopher-data/conf/fwcw/conf/gov/950915144150.txt . 2005-02-27 . live.
- News: October 1997 archives . . October 1997 . 2022-05-21 .
- News: Sharif . Bojang . A New Addition To The First Family Of Gambia . . 2000-07-06 . 2022-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131227093059/https://allafrica.com/stories/200007060122.html . 2013-12-27 . live.
- News: Gambia: President Jammeh Marries 20-Yr-Old Moroccan Girl . Spice News Services . . 1998-12-21 . 2022-05-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190831202617/https://allafrica.com/stories/199812210095.html . 2019-08-31 . live.
- News: Is Yahya Jammeh cheating on First Lady Zeinab Suma Jammeh? . Blogger News Network . 2007-07-22 . 2022-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080828145922/http://www.bloggernews.net/18830/ . 2008-08-28 . dead.
- News: Momodou . Barry . Gambia: Jammeh Secretly Remarried Former First Lady Tuti Faal Jammeh . Freedom Newspaper . 2010-01-20 . 2022-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100124090144/http://www.freedomnewspaper.com/Homepage/tabid/36/mid/367/newsid367/4857/Breaking-News-Gambia-Jammeh-Secretly-Remarried-Former-First-Lady-Tuti-Faal-Jammeh/Default.aspx . 2010-01-24 . live.
- News: Gambia's Former First Lady Is Seeking Political Asylum In The United States; As Jammeh's Fall Is Imminent . Freedom Newspaper . 2016-01-15 . 2022-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200424140712/https://www.freedomnewspaper.com/2016/01/15/6586-2/ . 2020-04-24 . dead.
