U.S. Immigration Deports Former NPRC Figure Charles Emile Mbayo to Sierra Leone
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed the deportation of Charles Emile Mbayo, a former high-ranking member of Sierra Leone’s 1992–1996 military junta, to Freetown.
Mbayo was removed to Sierra Leone on August 20, 2025, according to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Detroit.
The National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC), which seized power after overthrowing President Joseph Saidu Momoh on April 29, 1992, has been implicated in extrajudicial executions carried out on December 29, 1992. These executions resulted in the deaths of approximately 29 individuals, including former officials and others accused of plotting against the regime.
ICE stated that Mbayo entered the United States on January 9, 1998, under an F-1 student visa and later applied for permanent residency—a request that was denied in July 2023. He was subsequently taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations on June 30, 2025, prior to his removal.
Officials from ERO Detroit noted that the case was supported by ICE’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center.
Human rights organizations and the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission have long documented abuses during the NPRC era, including unlawful killings, arrests, and torture amid the country’s civil conflict.
ICE emphasized that this removal is part of ongoing efforts to ensure the United States does not become a safe haven for suspected human rights violators.
