By Archie Boan
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported Mayama Sesay, a former Liberian rebel commander infamously known as “Black Diamond,” for her role in war crimes, including the recruitment and use of child soldiers during Liberia’s civil conflicts.
Sesay, 43, was removed from the United States and returned to Liberia on September 5, following years of legal proceedings that revealed her central role in violent rebel activities during the early 2000s.
At just 22 years old, Sesay led the Women’s Artillery Commandos, an all-female fighting unit under the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), one of the main rebel groups that sought to overthrow former President Charles Taylor.
She was known for her brutal tactics, which included restraining and beating captured soldiers, and using mortar bombs in attacks that terrorized both civilians and military targets.
Liberian authorities have designated Sesay a war criminal due to her leadership role and alleged human rights abuses during the civil war.
According to ICE, Sesay entered the United States on a visitor’s visa in March 2014 and later married a U.S. citizen.
She applied for permanent residency in 2015 but denied any involvement with LURD or knowledge of the name “Black Diamond” during her immigration interview.
However, an immigration judge found her statements to be not credible and determined she had indeed participated in the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
Her removal was ordered on May 26, 2022, and later upheld by the Board of Immigration Appeals. ICE officers took her into custody in April 2025.
The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor in Atlanta prosecuted the case, with key support from the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, a division of Homeland Security Investigations.
The Center specializes in tracking and prosecuting individuals in the U.S. who are suspected of war crimes, genocide, and other serious human rights violations.
Since its creation in 2003, the War Crimes Center has issued over 79,000 lookouts for suspected human rights violators and prevented more than 390 individuals from entering the United States.
Authorities are encouraging the public to report information about potential human rights violators living in the U.S. Tips can be submitted by calling the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE or online via the ICE website.
