In 1993 and 94, he served as commander of the 'Black Berets,' a paramilitary police force in the Monrovia enclave of Amos Sawyer's Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU).

The International Crisis Group also notes that the Black Berets also fought alongside ECOMOG 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.

On 27 January 2022, Samukai, with associates, was convicted and ordered imprisoned for embezzlement:[5] 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 when Samukai headed the defense ministry.