The United Kingdom appointed a new ambassador to Yemen on Wednesday, replacing ambassador Richard Oppenheim. Media sources reported that London announced the appointment of Abda Sharif Obe, who will succeed Oppenheim as he moves to another diplomatic position. Obe becomes the first British ambassador of non-British origin to hold the position of London’s ambassador in Yemen. Previously, she served as Yemen's ambassador at the British Foreign Office, where she held several positions, the most recent being head of the Iraq and Gulf department in the Middle East and North Africa Directorate. She also served as the deputy ambassador to the UK in Beirut, as well as at the UK's mission to the European Council, and led the UK office in Benghazi, Libya.
Born in London to an immigrant Pakistani Muslim family, Obe began her career in 2001 as a lawyer in private practice, then joined the British Foreign Office in 2003 as a legal director. In 2006, she was appointed at the British Embassy in Baghdad as a legal adviser and head of the Justice and Human Rights section, serving in this role for two years. From 2009 to 2011, she served as deputy ambassador at the UK mission to the European Council. In 2011, she became the head of the UK office in Benghazi, Libya. In 2012, she was appointed deputy British ambassador in Beirut, a position she held until 2016, when she returned to London to take up a position at the Foreign Office as deputy director of the Rule of Law and Conflict Strategy department.
