Tuti Faal, also known as Tuti Faal Jammeh (born c. 1953 in ) is a former First Lady of the

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

n country of

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. As the first wife of President Yahya Jammeh, she was the First Lady from 1994 until her divorce in 1998.

Biography

Tuti Faal's family came from

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

. 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. Tuti Faal spoke at the

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World Conference on Women in

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in 1995 regarding the situation of women in Gambia. In October 1997, she travelled to the United States with her husband on an official trip abroad. Since she remained childless during their marriage, President Jammeh is said to have sent her to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

in 1997 for gynecological examinations. In December 1997, he married Zeinab Jammeh and divorced Tuti Faal while she was still abroad for medical treatment. After the divorce, Tuti Faal left the presidential State House and settled in her home village of . She later spent two years in

before returning to Gambia in early 2006. 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. In 2015, she applied for political asylum in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and moved to

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faal, Tuti Living people Date of birth unknown 1952 births First ladies of the Gambia Gambian emigrants to the United States Gambian people of Mauritanian descent People from West Coast Division (The Gambia)