ICE removes Liberian rebel commander known for using child soldiers

ATLANTA - ICE successfully removed Mayama Sesay, 43, to Liberia on Sept. 5. Sesay, infamously known as the rebel commander "Black Diamond," played a prominent role in recruiting and leading child soldiers during Liberia's civil wars.

Sesay commanded an all-female group of fighters known as the Women's Artillery Commandos, part of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, a rebel group formed to oppose former Liberian president Charles Taylor. At just 22 years old, Sesay recruited and trained child soldiers to fight against Taylor's forces. During the conflict, she gained notoriety for her brutal tactics, including restraining, beating captured soldiers, and deploying mortar bombs to terrorize and kill military personnel and civilians. Sesay has been designated as a war criminal in Liberia.

Sesay entered the United States on a visitor's visa on March 27, 2014, and later married a U.S. citizen. In April 2015, she applied for permanent residency. During her immigration interview, Sesay denied being "Black Diamond" or having any affiliation with the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy. However, she was placed into removal proceedings after an immigration judge determined she lacked credibility and had used and recruited child soldiers. The judge ordered her removal to Liberia May 26, 2022, a decision later affirmed by the Board of Immigration Appeals. On April 19, 2025, ICE Atlanta officers took Sesay into custody.

The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor in Atlanta litigated the case, with support from the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, led by Homeland Security Investigations. The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center plays a critical role in identifying, locating and prosecuting human rights abusers in the United States, including individuals involved in war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. Since its inception in 2003, the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center has issued more than 79,000 lookouts for suspected human rights violators and prevented over 390 individuals from entering the United States.

If you have information about potential human rights violators residing in the United States, contact law enforcement through the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE or by filling out the online tip form. You can also email tips to [email protected].

For media inquiries, contact ICE Public Affairs Officer Lindsay Williams at [email protected].