[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 102 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 102

        Concerning the efforts to end the civil war in Liberia.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 1993

 Mr. Torricelli (for himself, Mr. Costello, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. 
 Diaz-Balart, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Washington, Mr. Hughes, 
  Mr. Wynn, Mr. Glickman, Mrs. Clayton, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. 
   Mfume, Mr. Ballenger, Ms. McKinney, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. 
Blackwell, Mrs. Meyers of Kansas, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Ms. 
Brown of Florida) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
            was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
        Concerning the efforts to end the civil war in Liberia.

Whereas civil war has torn Liberia since 1989, when forces of the National 
        Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) attacked the Armed Forces of Liberia 
        (AFL) for control of the country;
Whereas the civil war in Liberia has caused over \1/2\ of the 2,700,000 
        Liberians to become refugees or displaced persons within their own 
        country and has resulted in the rape, torture, and execution of innocent 
        Liberian civilians, with the civilian death toll reaching over 13,000 
        individuals;
Whereas the civil war in Liberia threatens the stability of neighboring 
        countries in West Africa;
Whereas the United States has long supported the Economic Community of West 
        African States (ECOWAS) in its efforts to quell the civil war in 
        Liberia;
Whereas in 1991 in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, ECOWAS, NPFL, and the interim 
        Liberian Government headed by Amos Sawyer signed several accords which 
        outline plans for a cease-fire, the disarmament and encampment of 
        warring factions, and the holding of free and fair elections in Liberia;
Whereas NPFL has failed to honor its commitments to the Yamoussoukro Accords;
Whereas West African Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) peacekeeping 
        forces have been deployed in Liberia since August 1990 and have enforced 
        a cease-fire from December 1990 to October 1992;
Whereas ECOMOG is a force of 11,000 troops from Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, and 
        Sierra Leone, with the majority of such troops coming from Nigeria;
Whereas, since ECOMOG forces secured Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, an 
        interim government and humanitarian aid organizations have been able to 
        operate out of the city;
Whereas, due to the presence of such forces in Monrovia, the number of 
        malnourished Liberians has dropped from 80 percent to 4 percent since 
        1990, and economic activity has resumed, including the opening of banks 
        and restoration of international trade;
Whereas such forces are becoming increasingly involved in the fighting in 
        Liberia as NPFL forces continue to violate the Yamoussoukro Accords and 
        launch offensives against the ECOMOG forces; and
Whereas ECOMOG forces are gaining territory in their effort to combat offensives 
        by NPFL forces and the ECOMOG forces have reduced the NPFL's territorial 
        control from 90 percent to 45 percent of Liberia: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) praises the Economic Community of West African States 
        (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic Community Monitoring 
        Group (ECOMOG) for their efforts to provide a regional approach 
        toward ending the civil war in Liberia;
            (2) commends ECOMOG for its efforts to secure areas of 
        Liberia in order to ensure that critical humanitarian 
        assistance reaches the needy masses;
            (3) supports ECOMOG in its efforts to combat, disarm, and 
        encamp National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) forces and 
        all other armed factions for the purpose of ending civil war 
        and calling for free and fair elections in Liberia in 
        accordance with the Yamoussoukro Accords;
            (4) endorses United Nations Security Council Resolutions 
        788 (November 4, 1992) and 813 (March 26, 1993) relating to 
        peacekeeping efforts in Liberia, welcomes the appointment of 
        Trevor Livingston Gordon-Somers as the Secretary General's 
        Special Representative on Liberia, and encourages the United 
        Nations and the international community to take concrete steps 
        to support ECOWAS efforts to implement the Yamoussoukro 
        Accords;
            (5) urges the President to become more actively involved in 
        assisting ECOWAS in its effort to promote a peaceful resolution 
        to the civil war in Liberia and to implement the Yamoussoukro 
        Accords; and
            (6) urges the President, the United Nations, and the 
        international community to continue to support ECOWAS in its 
        effort to provide a regional approach to peaceful conflict 
        resolution in West Africa.

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