Гамбия саяхатшысы және заңгер Оусаину Дарбо туралы

Gambian politician and lawyer

Ousainou Darboe (born 8 August 1948) is a Gambian politician and leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP). He previously served as Vice President of the Gambia and Minister of Women's Affairs from June 2018 to March 2019, under President Adama Barrow. He also served as President Barrow's Minister of Foreign Affairs from February 2017 to June 2018. Darboe is a human rights lawyer, and worked for the Attorney General's Chambers before entering private practice. He has served as advisor to several companies and government agencies, and was also for a time the vice president of the Gambia Bar Association. He founded the United Democratic Party (UDP) in 1996 and stood in presidential elections the same year, 2001, 2006, and 2021 presidential elections. He was imprisoned in 2016, but released after Barrow's victory.

Darboe was born in 1948, the son of Numukunda Darboe, who served as a member of parliament for Lower Falluda West, and as communications secretary for Pierre Sarr N'Jie's United Party. Darboe attended Bansang Primary School and then proceeded to Banjul, where he studied at Saint Augustine High School and Gambia High School. Darboe was the recipient of a Commonwealth scholarship to study law at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. He also later studied a master's degree in law from the University of Ottawa, Canada. He is the first Gambian lawyer from the Mandinka ethnic group.

Darboe was called to the Federal Bar of Nigeria in 1973 and returned to the Gambia in May 1973 to take up a role as a state prosecutor. He was called to the Gambian bar in November 1973, becoming the first Gambian lawyer from the Mandinka ethnic group. He then worked at the Attorney General's Chambers, firstly as a state counsel, then as acting registrar general, and then as a legal draftsman, before resigning in 1980 in protests against the government's use of draconian legislation to suppress opposition. Darboe is credited with having saved the lives of over 200 Gambians from the death penalty. Following the failed 1981 coup against Dawda Jawara's government, Darboe successfully defended many involved, including Pap Cheyassin Secka and Sheriff Mustapha Dibba who were both tried for treason. Darboe also represented the majority of those detained under 'Emergency Powers' following the coup. In June 2000, while on the campaign trail for the 2001 election, his convoy was ambushed by supporters of the Jammeh regime. One attacker, Alieu Njie, was killed in the process. Darboe and 20 others were arrested and held in Basse police station before being transferred to the high court in Banjul and being granted bail. Darboe was arrested in April 2016 for participating in protests demanding the body (dead or alive) of his party's Youth Leader, Ebrima Solo Sandeng, who was arrested by the state security agents, tortured and eventually died in custody, a day after his arrest. Darboe remained in jail, during the period leading up to the December 2016 presidential election, and in his absence, Adama Barrow, a businessman without political experience, was designated as the party's presidential candidate( with Darboe's endorsement). In a shock result, Barrow, as the joint opposition candidate leading Coalition 2016, defeated Jammeh in the election. A few days after the election, Darboe was among 19 members of the opposition released from prison. After joining the government, he strongly advocated for President Adama Barrow to be in charge for five(5) years, which violated the Coalition agreement of three(3) but later reversed his decision after being sacked from the government by President Adama Barrow.

On 1 February 2017, Darboe was sworn in as Barrow's Minister of Foreign Affairs. The next day, he met with foreign diplomats accredited to the Gambia in order to "strengthen bilateral relations between the Gambia and the world". The same week as his swearing in, it was confirmed that €33 million in foreign aid from the European Union that had been frozen under Jammeh's regime would be released to the Gambia. In late 2017, Darboe courted controversy when he demanded that the president of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, resign due to massive anti government protests. He withdrew the statement a few days later.

In a cabinet reshuffle in June 2018, Darboe was promoted to the position of vice president and minister of presidential affairs, replacing Fatoumata Tambajang, who had held the position since November 2017. Darboe's tenure as vice president was fraught with reports of constant disagreement with President Adama Barrow. This would ultimately lead to his removal as vice president in a cabinet reshuffle of 15 March 2019, which also saw the removal of Amadou Sanneh and Lamin N. Dibba, both ministers belonging to the UDP.

Following the 2022 elections, his party became the largest opposition in the National Assembly and he became the National Assembly Minority Leader.

Darboe is married with two wives and several children. His eldest daughter, Mariama, is a graduate of Tulane University in the United States. He is a sports enthusiast and served as vice president of the Gambian National Olympic and Sports Committee for several years, as well as chairman of the Gambia Wrestling Federation.