President Yahya Jammeh, who doubles as the Commander-in-Chief of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), has appointed Lieutenant Colonel Biran Saine as Chief of the Gambia National Guards. The portfolio was last occupied by Colonel Ndure Cham, ex-Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of GAF. Col Cham was later appointed CDS, replacing Col Assan Sarr.

Profile
Lt Col Saine, a father of three, was born on 16th August 1963 at Jimbala in the Lower Saloum District, Central River Division. He grew up inFarafenni, Upper Baddibu District, North Bank Division where he started his schooling.

After completing his primary education, he was admitted to Farafenni Junior Secondary School, before he proceeded to the Gambia Muslim High School in Banjul. He later transferred to Armitage High School at Janjanbureh, where he completed his secondary school education. Lt Col Saine enlisted into the Gambia National Army on 15th January 1986.
In 1987, he joined Charlie Company, 1st Infantry Battalion on their deployment to the then Senegambia Confederal Battalion, where he served until 1989. He was withdrawn from the Confederal Battalion and given a probationary rank of Second Lieutenant in March 1989.

Thereafter, he was sent to the US to attend the United States Army Infantry Officers’ Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. His status was confirmed to substantive regular commission on his return from the United States in September 1989. Since then, Lt Col Saine had virtually held all appointments in an infantry battalion.
He served in ECOMOG-Liberia from mid 1991 to early 1992, as platoon commander. Upon his return from Liberia, he was posted to 2nd Infantry Battalion, Kudang Barracks, as Company Commander.

In late 1992, Lt Col Saine was appointed Staff Officer Grade 3 Intelligence and Security at Headquarters, Gambia National Army. This was at a time when the Nigerian Army Training Assistance Group (NATAG) to The Gambia established the present Headquarters of the Gambia National Army. After successfully completing the Intelligence and Security Overseas Officers’ Course in the UK in 1993, he was appointed Staff Office,r Grade 2 Intelligence and Security.

Following the withdrawal of NATAG from The Gambia in 1994, Lt Col Saine served in many capacities as a staff officer at Headquarters, Gambia National Army, until his redeployment to 2nd Infantry Battalion, Farafenni Barracks, where he served as Commanding Officer, in late 1995.

Lt Col Saine did his Junior Staff Course at the Command and Staff College, Nigeria in 1996. In 1997, he took a five-year study leave from the Gambia Armed Forces and went to the US to pursue a Double Major in Computer Science and Business Management. He graduated from Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Lowa, on 30th June 2002, with a BSc in Computer Science and a BA in Business Management. Upon his return from the US in July 2002, he was appointed Director Intelligence and Security as well as Information Technology (IT) Officer of the Gambia Armed Forces.

Lt Col Saine, who is married, attended six military courses in the course of his career, the most recent of which are: Administration and Logistic in United Nations Peace Operations and International Peace Support Operations, at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center, in Ghana, in 2004. He also attended the senior staff sourse at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Nigeria from August 2004 to July 2005. Lt Col Saine has just returned from the United Nations Operations in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) as a Military Observer.