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U.S. authorities have deported Charles Emile Mbayo, a suspected war criminal and former high-ranking member of Sierra Leone’s military junta, from the United States to Sierra Leone on August 20, 2025. The removal was carried out by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) from the Detroit Field Office.
Mbayo was a senior official in the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC), the military junta that overthrew President Joseph Momoh on April 29, 1992.
After seizing power, the NPRC struggled to maintain control as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) advanced across the country, and reports of coup plots circulated in Freetown.
On December 29, 1992, the NPRC carried out extrajudicial killings of approximately 29 individuals, including former government officials and others accused of conspiring against the regime. Many victims were arrested, tortured, and summarily executed, with their bodies buried in a mass grave. Mbayo is alleged to have played a key role in these operations.
After multiple government transitions in Sierra Leone, Mbayo entered the United States on January 9, 1998, on an F-1 student visa. He later applied for permanent residency, but his application was denied in July 2023. He was arrested by ICE Homeland Security Investigations on June 30, 2025, and remained in custody until his removal to Sierra Leone.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Mbayo first entered the United States on January 9, 1998, on an F-1 student visa. He later sought permanent residency, but his application was denied in July 2023, leading to his removal under ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.
