The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) has broken a significant barrier in its history with the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Alice Koria Sesay as Commanding Officer of 14 Infantry Battalion, which is stationed in Pujehun. The appointment, announced by Defence Headquarters on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, is the first for a female combatant officer to command a fighting unit in the RSLAF.
Lieutenant Colonel Sesay, a Kuranko from Kabala in Northern Sierra Leone, brings nearly two decades of experience and a diverse set of professional and academic credentials to her new position. She was commissioned as a combatant officer in 2007 after completing a rigorous training course at the Armed Forces Training Centre (AFTC) in Benguema, alongside one other woman and 21 men. Throughout her career, she has held command and staff positions and completed numerous military and professional courses at home and abroad.
Lieutenant Colonel Sesay has completed three courses in Sierra Leone: the Intermediate Staff Course (ISC), the Junior Staff Course (JSC), and the Platoon Commanders’ Battle Course. Her overseas training has included the Military Intelligence Basic Officers’ Leadership Course at Fort Huachuca in the United States, a Military Female Officers’ Course in Beijing, China, the Program in Applied Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany, and the Comprehensive Security Cooperation Course in Honolulu, USA. She also took a Regimental Intelligence and Security Officers Course in Freetown.
Her operational and leadership roles have included Platoon Commander, Officer Commanding Human Intelligence, Training Officer, Operations Officer, Matron/Instructor, and Gender and Equal Opportunities Officer. Lieutenant Colonel Sesay has represented the RSLAF in multinational missions around the world, including serving as Staff Officer in Charge of Data Collection for the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in Sudan and as Intelligence Acquisition Officer for the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lieutenant Colonel Sesay’s academic background supplemented her military experience. She earned a Diploma in Public Administration from IPAM and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Business Administration from Milton Margai Technical University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Diplomacy and International Relations from Fourah Bay College.
Her appointment marks not only a personal milestone, but also a historic moment for the RSLAF. The armed forces have a complicated history of gender integration dating back to the late 1970s. In 1978, the RSLAF held its first all-female recruitment and training exercise, commissioning 14 women as combatant officers. These pioneering women included Kestoria Kabia (nee George), Memuna Koroma (nee Kanu), Margaret Jah Tucker, Christiana Jones (nee Roberts), Yvonne French, Matilda Macauley (nee Carew), Anni Conteh (nee Itam), Yvonne Odigbo (nee King), Francess Sowa, Lucy Kanu (nee Ndawa), Evelyn Williams, Yvonne Wilson (nee Campbell), Ursula Hanciles (nee Cole), and June Hotoba-During (nee Ade). Two of the early officers, Kestoria Kabia and Yvonne French, were trained at the Women’s Royal Army Corps in the United Kingdom, while the remaining 12 were trained at the Ghana Military Academy in Teshie, Ghana.
Kestoria Kabia and Memuna Koroma, two of the 1978 recruits, rose to the ranks of Brigadier-General and Colonel, respectively. Brigadier-General Kestoria Kabia became the first trained female officer in Sierra Leone and West Africa to be promoted to Brigadier-General in 2010. Another all-female intake occurred in 1979, when 64 women enlisted and graduated as soldiers—10 as specialists and 54 as combatants.
Following those initial recruitments, there was a lengthy period in which no women were trained and commissioned as combatant officers until 2005, when Cecilia Munu (now a Major) was commissioned alongside 58 men. Major Munu’s appointment as Second-in-Command of the 11th Infantry Battalion in Kambia in 2022 demonstrated that female combatant officers could perform at the operational leadership level, setting a strong precedent for Lieutenant Colonel Sesay’s new command.
During Sierra Leone’s civil war, female combatant soldiers fought alongside their male counterparts against rebel forces, demonstrating their dedication and capability under fire. Since 2005, recruitment practices have expanded to include women both as combatant officers and soldiers.
Women’s participation increased significantly with the 2019 landmark “Special Female” recruitment, which was launched by First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio in collaboration with the then-International Security Advisory Team (ISAT). That initiative enlisted 327 young Sierra Leonean women, 59 of whom were commissioned as combatants and specialist officers, and 268 of whom graduated as soldiers. Antonnette Ajua Owusu, a trainee from that group, was chosen to continue training at the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna and later commissioned as a combatant officer. Luckey Morson became the first Sierra Leonean woman to be trained and commissioned at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom in 2021; Winifred Tumbay had previously trained there.
According to the announcement, a total of 1,022 Sierra Leonean youths were receiving military training at the Peace Mission Training Centre (PMTC) in Hastings and the Armed Forces Training Centre (AFTC) in Benguema. Of those, 227 were women, with 15 trained as combatant and specialist officers and 212 as soldiers.
The RSLAF distinguishes between command appointments, which involve the leadership of fighting units, and staff appointments. Lieutenant Colonel Alice Koria Sesay’s promotion to command of 14 Infantry Battalion marks the first time a female combatant officer has led a fighting unit. It is worth noting that in 2000, Lieutenant Colonel Memuna Koroma became the first female officer to command a non-fighting unit, the Armed Forces Personnel Centre. Brigadier-General Kestoria Kabia remains the most senior female officer in RSLAF history, having served as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (ACDS) for Gender and Equal Opportunities until her retirement.
Lieutenant Colonel Sesay’s appointment is part of the ongoing transformation of the Armed Forces, spearheaded by President and Commander-in-Chief Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio (Retired). During the Commissioning and Passing-Out Parade of the “Special Female” squad on September 7, 2019, President Bio declared the day “RSLAF Women’s Day” and pledged to promote gender equality in the Armed Forces. The First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, has been recognised for her efforts to advance female personnel in the RSLAF.
