Major General Alfred Claude Nelson-Williams, GCOR is a retired Major General in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF). Nelson-Williams serves as the Sierra Leone Deputy High Commissioner to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Nelson-Williams previous served as Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) for

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

from 2008 to 2010.Thomas, Abdul R

, ''The Sierra Leone Telegraph'', 11 September 2010, accessed 4 August 2011. Nelson-Williams holds degrees from Junior and Senior Command and Staff Colleges in Ghana, as a Fellow of the Nigeria War College, in Management and Public Administration at the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

at Legon, and as a Master of Science at the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...

in Nigeria. His honors and awards include an ECOMOG Medal as well as long service, efficiency and gallantry medals. He also earned a national award as Grand Officer of the Order of Rokel.http://www.diis.dk/sw72755.asp

Military career

Early career

Nelson-Williams entered into the

Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) are the armed forces of Sierra Leone, responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone's borders and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone, within the framework of the 1991 Si ...

in 1975 as an enlisted serviceman, then became commissioned as a regular combatant officer after completing an officer cadet training program in the

Egyptian Military Academy The Egyptian Military Academy ( ar, الكلية الحربية) is the oldest and most prominent military academy in Egypt. Traditionally, graduates of the Military Academy are commissioned as officers in the Egyptian Army. However, they may se ...

in April 1978. Between 1978 and 1980 he continued to rise in the ranks, serving as a platoon commander and then as a mechanical and transport officer (MTO) in the second battalion, Republic of Sierra Leone Regiment (2RSLAR). In 1983, he was tasked to head the anti-smuggling squad while serving in the First Battalion, Republic of Sierra Leone Regiment (1RSLAR). After distinguishing himself in this service by arresting the organizers of an $11.5 M diamond racket in Kono despite being offered a bribe of $100 K and a brand new Mercedes-Benz, Nelson-Williams moved up to the position of adjutant of the 1RSLAR in 1984, preparing him for further roles in military administration. In 1985 he completed a junior division command and staff course in Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, and in 1986, he was appointed to head an anti-corruption squad. He returned to the adjutant post after this appointment, holding it from 1987 to 1990.Jalloh, Tanu. 'Brig. Nelson-Williams is New Chief of Defence Staff'. ''Concord Times'' (Freetown), 15 September 2008

Service in the First Liberian Civil War

After serving this stint as adjutant, in 1991 Nelson-Williams was chosen to serve among the troops

contributed to the

Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group 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 ...

(ECOMOG) peace enforcement operations deployed by the

Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political union, political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an ...

(ECOWAS) to the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997. President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...

. Nelson-Williams was initially appointed deputy chief military intelligence officer at ECOWAS headquarters, but was recalled to Sierra Leone. After this recall, he rejoined the ECOMOG force in several positions, distinguishing himself in particular at the Bo waterside by being the first officer to capture the

Mano River The Mano River is a river in West Africa. It originates in the Guinea Highlands in Liberia and forms part of the Liberia-Sierra Leone Liberia–Sierra Leone border, border. The districts through which the river flows include the Parrot's Beak ...

Union Bridge, a major objective. After a brief return to Sierra Leone to serve as military assistant to the National Security Adviser in 1992, he returned to Liberia, where he was appointed contingent commander and commanding officer of the Sierra Leone contingent. For his distinguished and meritorious tour, he has been awarded a medal for his participation in ECOMOG (1992), a Gallantry Medal (1993) and a Long Service and Efficiency Medal (1994).

Return to Sierra Leone

In the later part of 1994, he served as administration and logistics staff officer grade one. In 1995 he worked as the principal staff officer to the CDS before enrolling in the Senior Division Staff and Command course at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College. He then earned a public administration diploma from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration at

Legon Legon , a suburb of the Ghanaian city Accra, is situated about north-east of the city center in the Accra Metropolis District, a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. Ghanaia ...

before returning to serve as the commanding officer for the 1RSLAR until 1997. In 1998, he was posted to the Armed Forces Training Center in

Benguema {{Infobox settlement , official_name = Benguema, Sierra Leone , other_name = , native_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = , motto = , image_skyline = , images ...

and appointed commandant. In 2000, he served as Director of Land Operations (DLOP) in the

Sierra Leone Civil War The Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2002), or the Sierra Leonean Civil War, was a civil war in Sierra Leone that began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), with support from the special forces of Liberia, Liberian dictato ...

After the Sierra Leone Civil War

Nelson-Williams then proceeded to enroll at the Nigerian

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

. He was honoured as a Fellow of the War College upon graduation, and was later recognised as a Distinguished Star Alumnus in 2009.Temple, Pasco Gerald. 'National Defense College Awards Maj. Gen. Nelson Williams "Distinguished Star Alumnus"

, ''Sierra Express Media'', 10 August 2009, accessed 4 August 2011 He was invited to the

in Nigeria to read for a Master of Science degree in strategic and defence studies which he completed with a thesis on "the role of the military in sustaining peace and democracy in post-war Sierra Leone." Upon his return to Sierra Leone in 2002, he was appointed assistant Chief of Defense Staff (ACDS) Ops & Plans and promoted to the substantive rank of Brigadier General. In 2003, he was appointed deputy Chief of Defence Staff (DCDS) in addition to his appointment as ACDS Ops & Plans. In 2005, he relinquished his appointment of ACDS Ops & Plans and fully concentrated on his new responsibility as the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff and military spokesman. He was presented with the honour of "Grand Officer of the Order of Rokel" in 2007, and appointed to the position of Chief of the Defence Staff on Friday, 12 September 2008, by President

Ernest Bai Koroma Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leone, Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent mo ...

, succeeding Major General

Edward Sam M'boma Edward Sam M'bomah is a Sierra Leonean military commander. He is at the rank of Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major g ...

. In August 2010, he was placed on terminal leave by president

and succeeded as CDS by Robert Yira Koroma.

International Diplomatic Work

Nelson-Williams was part of the delegation of the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting held in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. With a population of 274,400 as of 2016, or just over 70% of the entire population of the Bahamas, Nassau is commonly defined as a primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. ...

in 1985. He has attended the

Africa Center for Strategic Studies The Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) is self-described as "a U.S. Department of Defense institution established and funded by Congress for the study of security issues relating to Africa and serving as a forum for bilateral and multila ...

(ACSS) organised by the United States Government in Senegal in 2003. He was actively engaged in the week of senior officers of African countries held in Beijing, China in 2007 at the National Defence University. He has taken part in two African Command (AFRICOM) dialogues in Washington DC sponsored by the United States Government and Department for Defence in 2007 and 2008 and the Forum for Africa held at the Institute of Higher Studies and National Defence in Paris, France in 2008. He served as a representative at the United Nations in New York and paved the way to send troops of the RSLAF on peace support operations. He is a co-author of the book "Security Sector Review in Sierra Leone −1996-2007" sponsored by the British Government, Foreign Ministry and the

Department for International Development , type = Department , logo = DfID.svg , logo_width = 180px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg , picture_width = 180px , picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...

2016 Kidnapping

On 1 July 2016, Nelson-Williams was scheduled to attend the military graduation ceremony of two Sierra Leonean army officers. His vehicle was stopped at an unofficial checkpoint on the Abuja Korona Highway in Kaduna,

. Nelson-Williams was kidnapped and ransomed for 44 million Naira (about $150,000). He escaped without paying the ransom by either the Sierra Leone or Nigerian government on 5 July 2016.

Family

Brigadier Nelson-Williams is married to Mrs. Gloria Nelson-Williams. They have three daughters.

Honours

: Grand Commander of the

Order of the Rokel The Order of the Rokel is the second order of Sierra Leone, after the Order of the Republic (Sierra Leone), Order of the Republic. (Access date 28 June 2021) It may be awarded to recognize Sierra Leoneans who have distinguished themselves by makin ...

(2007)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson-Williams, Alfred Sierra Leonean military personnel Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Sierra Leone Creole people Egyptian Military Academy alumni