Brownie Jeffery Samukai Jr. is the former Minister of National Defence of

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

. He took office on January 16, 2006, as part of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ellen Eugenia Johnson Sirleaf (born 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was born in Monrovia to a Gol ...

's Cabinet. In the 1980s, he worked within the Liberian

Ministry of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

. In 1986-87 he was working within the G-4 Branch of the AFL. In 1991, according to biographical details issued at a 2007

U.S. Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American independent, nonprofit, national institute funded by the U.S. Congress and tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. See alsPDF on USIP website. It provides rese ...

briefing, he was appointed as Deputy Minister of Defence for Operations.

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American independent, nonprofit, national institute funded by the U.S. Congress and tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. See alsPDF on USIP website. It provides rese ...

A Discussion with Liberia's Defense Minister Brownie J. Samukai, Jr.
May 11, 2007 The biographical details said that he 'was responsible for reestablishing civilian control over the Liberian army and established an urban response team to counter urban terrorism.' He served in this position until 1994. In 1993 and 94, he served as commander of the 'Black Berets,' a paramilitary police force in the

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

enclave of Amos Sawyer's Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU). The

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, conducting research and analysis on global crises. ...

also notes that the Black Berets also fought alongside

ECOMOG The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work ...

at times, notably during Charles Taylor's 1992 assault on Monrovia ('Operation Octopus'). 'They and the AFL were accused of killing some 600 civilians in the June 1993 Camp Carter massacre, which, testimony at the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission has indicated, was perpetuated by Taylor's NPFL fighters, who may have orchestrated it to put blame on the

Armed Forces of Liberia The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) are the armed forces of the Republic of Liberia. Tracing its origins to a militia that was formed by the first black colonists in what is now Liberia, it was founded as the Liberian Frontier Force in 1908, and r ...

.' He served as Director of the Liberian National Police from 1994 to 1995 and Deputy Minister of State for Administration from 1995 to 1997. In 1998 he served on the AFL Restructuring Commission, where he was listed as a retired Colonel of the AFL in private business. From 1999 to c.2004-05, he served as a security officer with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, initially with

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in East Timor, and then from 2000 with

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

and the UN Department of Safety and Security in Tanzania. Responsible for refugee resettlement in Tanzania. On 27 January 2022, Samukai, with associates, was convicted and ordered imprisoned for embezzlement:; exact $537,828.15 figure from linked FrontPageAfrica story.

The Supreme Court of Liberia has handed down two-year prison sentences to former defence chief Brownie Samukai along with deputies Joseph Johnson and James Nyuman Ndokor after they failed to return U.S.$1,1 million worth of stolen money from a government pension account. The funds were stolen from the Armed Forces of Liberia pension account during the mandate of former President
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Ellen Eugenia Johnson Sirleaf (born 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was born in Monrovia to a Gola ...
when Samukai headed the defense ministry. The three men were ordered by the court to pay U.S. .. 537,828.15within six months but failed to do so.

References

External links

Interview with Brownie Samukai

Jane's Defence Weekly ''Jane's Defence Weekly'' (abbreviated as ''JDW'') is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who ...

, 14 January 2008
Ministry of Defence
*Selma Lomax
Liberia: Supreme Court Orders Brownie Samukai and Co-Defendants Jailed
FrontPageAfrica, last updated Jan 27, 2022. {{DEFAULTSORT:Samukai, Brownie Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Defence ministers of Liberia University of Liberia alumni 21st-century Liberian politicians Place of birth missing (living people)