Sheikh Omar Faye (born 10 January 1960) is the Gambian ambassador to Mauritania. Prior to this position, he was Gambian Minister of Defence,[1] as well as a former diplomat who served as the Gambian Ambassador to the United States from 2015 to 2016, and an athlete who represented the Gambia in the 1984 Olympic games.
Sheikh Omar Faye | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Sheikh Omar Faye | |
| Minister of Defence | |
| Assumed office 22 August 2019 | |
| President | Adama Barrow |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Gambian Ambassador to the United States | |
| In office 3 August 2015 – 19 December 2016 | |
| President | Yahya Jammeh |
| Preceded by | Neneh Macdouall-Gaye |
| Succeeded by | Ebraima Manneh |
| Minister of Youth, Sports and Religious Affairs | |
| In office June 2006 – September 2007 | |
| President | Yahya Jammeh |
| Preceded by | Musa Mohammed |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 January 1960 Banjul, the Gambia |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  The Gambia |
| Branch/service |  Gambian National Army |
| Years of service | 1983–1994 |
| Rank | Major |
Early life and education edit
Faye was born on 10 January 1960 in Banjul, the Gambia, to Ajaratou Ramatoulie Tambedou and Alhagi Tijan Faye. His grandfather, also named Sheikh Omar Faye, was an Islamic scholar who was involved in Gambian politics in the early days of the country. The younger Faye attended Windley primary school in Half-Die, and Crab Island Junior Secondary School. He then attended St Augustine's High School on a sports scholarship, graduating in 1979. At St Augustine's, he competed in football, basketball, volleyball, rugby, and track.[2]
Career edit
Athlete edit
Faye began his career as an athlete and held the Gambian records in the 100m and 200m sprint for some time. He represented the Gambia internationally, including at the 1984 Olympic Games where he was the team captain. At the Games, he competed in the 100m and 200m races, as well as the 4 × 100 metres relay.[3] He also played rugby for the Gambian national team at this time. Concurrently, from 1981 to 1983, he worked as a tutor at the Muslim High School in Banjul.[2]
Military service edit
Faye joined the Gambian National Army in 1983 and became an officer cadet that year. In 1984, he was sent to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to train for two years. Later in his army career, he also trained at the United States Army Command and General Staff College. Part of his service was spent as part of a peacekeeping force in Liberia. He left the army in 1994, and was in Atlanta, Georgia, at the time of Yahya Jammeh's coup. He worked as a security supervisor and utility line locator in the United States until 2005, when he returned to the Gambia.[2]
Politics and diplomacy edit
Upon returning to the Gambia, Faye was appointed as Director of Information in the office of President Jammeh. He was appointed as Minister of Youth, Sports and Religious Affairs in 2006, and remained in that post until 2007 when he was sent to Mauritania as the deputy chief of mission at the Gambian embassy there. He remained in Mauritania until 2014, when he was sent to the Gambian embassy in Washington, D.C. He formally became the chargé d'affaires on 1 April 2014, and officially became the ambassador after presenting his credentials to President Barack Obama on 3 August 2015.[2][4] On 19 December, he was recalled to the Gambia. This came after calling for Jammeh to step down following Adama Barrow's victory in the 2016 presidential election.[5]
Faye was later appointed by the Barrow administration as the Deputy Head of Mission at the Gambian Embassy in Dubai, and most recently as the Consul General of the Gambian Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the primary consulate in charge of serving Muslim citizens of The Gambia on pilgrimage to Mecca for the Hajj.[6][7]
Minister of Defence edit
While Faye was serving as Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,[8] President Barrow appointed Faye as the Gambia's first Minister of Defence under his administration.[9] The appointment was made as part of a broader cabinet reshuffling announced via press release from the Office of the President on August 22, 2019.[1]
International competitions edit
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Wind (m/s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 5th (q) | 100 m | 10.76 | +1.8 | heat 2 |
References edit
- ^ a b "Press release: President Adama Barrow Appoints Defence Minister in a Mini Cabinet Re-shuffle". MAMOS. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Ambassador to the United States from The Gambia: Who Is Sheikh Omar Faye?". AllGov. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Oumar Fye Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ "Sheikh Omar Faye Is Gambia's New Ambassador to U.S." All Africa. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ Onuh, Amara (22 December 2016). "Jammeh sacks Ambassador to the US who urged him to concede defeat". Answers Africa. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "Gambia: Breaking News: Omar Faye is the new Consular at the Gambian Mission in Jeddah". Freedom Newspaper. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ "Consulate of The Gambia in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia". The Gambia in Jeddah. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
- ^ "Gambia Gets New Defence Minister". Foroyaa. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ "BARROW APPOINTS HIS FIRST DEFENSE MINISTER OMAR FAYE; AS HE HIRES AND FIRES MINISTERS!". Freedom Newspaper. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.