[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4541 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4541

To authorize assistance to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts 
                               in Africa.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 1994

   Mr. Johnston of Florida (for himself and Mr. Payne of New Jersey) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize assistance to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts 
                               in Africa.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``African Conflict Resolution Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) It is in the national interest of the United States to 
        help build African capability in conflict resolution. A 
        relatively small investment of assistance in promoting African 
        conflict resolution--
                    (A) would reduce the enormous human suffering which 
                is caused by wars in Africa;
                    (B) would help the United States avoid huge future 
                expenditures necessitated by Somalia-like humanitarian 
                disasters; and
                    (C) would reduce the need for United Nations 
                intervention as African institutions develop the 
                ability to resolve African conflicts.
            (2) Africa, to a greater extent than any other continent, 
        is afflicted by war. Africa has been marred by more than 20 
        major civil wars since 1960. Rwanda, Somalia, Angola, Sudan, 
        Liberia, and Burundi are among those countries that have 
        recently suffered serious armed conflict.
            (3) In the last decade alone, between 2,000,000 and 
        4,000,000 Africans have died because of war. There were 
        5,200,000 refugees and 13,100,000 displaced people in Africa in 
        1993. In Angola, relief organizations estimated that 1,000 
        people were dying each day at the end of 1993. In Rwanda, more 
        than 200,000 people died in less than 5 weeks of fighting 
        during 1994, while 300,000 people fled to other countries to 
        escape war.
            (4) Millions more Africans are currently at risk of war-
        related death. Looming or ongoing conflicts in Zaire, Angola, 
        Sudan, Rwanda, and other countries threaten Africa's future.
            (5) War has caused untold economic and social damage to the 
        countries of Africa. Food production is impossible in conflict 
        areas, and famine often results. Widespread conflict has 
        condemned many of Africa's children to lives of misery and, in 
        certain cases, has threatened the existence of traditional 
        African cultures.
            (6) Conflict and instability in Africa, particularly in 
        large, potentially rich countries such as Angola, Sudan, and 
        Zaire, deprive the global economy of resources and 
        opportunities for trade and investment. Peace in these 
        countries could make a significant contribution to global 
        economic growth, while creating new opportunities for United 
        States businesses.
            (7) Many African armies are far too large, threatening 
        political and economic stability while diverting scarce 
        resources from development needs. Military expenditures in 
        Africa average over twice the level in Latin America. 
        Demobilization and other measures to reduce military 
        expenditures are thus a critical need for many African 
        countries.
            (8) Conflict prevention, mediation, and demobilization are 
        prerequisites to the success of development assistance 
        programs. Nutrition and education programs, for example, cannot 
        succeed in a nation at war. Billions of dollars of development 
        assistance have been virtually wasted in war-ravaged countries 
        such as Liberia, Somalia, and Sudan.
            (9) Africans have a long tradition of informal mediation. 
        This tradition should be built upon to create effective 
        institutions through which Africans can resolve African 
        conflicts.
            (10) The Organization of African Unity, under the 
        leadership of Secretary General Salim Salim, has established a 
        conflict resolution mechanism and has been active in mediation 
        and conflict resolution in several African countries. Various 
        subregional organizations have also become active in conflict 
        resolution efforts. These are encouraging developments.
    (b) United States Policy.--The Congress declares, therefore, that a 
key goal for United States foreign policy should be to help 
institutionalize conflict resolution capability in Africa.

SEC. 3. IMPROVING THE CONFLICT RESOLUTION CAPABILITIES OF THE 
              ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY.

    (a) Authorization of Assistance.--The President is authorized to 
provide assistance to strengthen the conflict resolution capability of 
the Organization of African Unity, as follows:
            (1) Funds may be provided to the Organization of African 
        Unity for use in supporting its conflict resolution capability.
            (2) Funds may be used for expenses of sending individuals 
        with expertise in conflict resolution to work with the 
        Organization of African Unity.
    (b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated 
for sub-Saharan Africa, not less than $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 1995 through 1998 should be used to carry out subsection (a).

SEC. 4. IMPROVING CONFLICT RESOLUTION CAPABILITIES OF MULTILATERAL 
              SUBREGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA.

    (a) Authorization of Assistance.--The President is authorized to 
provide assistance to strengthen the conflict resolution capabilities 
of subregional organizations established by countries in sub-Saharan 
Africa, as follows:
            (1) Funds may be provided to such an organization for use 
        in supporting its conflict resolution capability.
            (2) Funds may be used for the expenses of sending 
        individuals with expertise in conflict resolution to work with 
        such an organization.
    (b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated 
for sub-Saharan Africa, up to $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 
1995 through 1998 may be used to carry out subsection (a).

SEC. 5. AFRICAN DEMOBILIZATION AND RETRAINING PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization of Assistance.--In order to facilitate reductions 
in the size of the armed forces of countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the 
President is authorized to provide assistance for--
            (1) encampment and related activities associated with 
        demobilization of such forces, and
            (2) the retraining for civilian occupations of military 
        personnel who have been demobilized.
    (b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated 
for sub-Saharan Africa, $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995 
and 1996 should be used for the assistance described in subsection (a), 
if conditions permit.

SEC. 6. TRAINING FOR AFRICANS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACEKEEPING.

    (a) Authorization of Assistance..--The President is authorized to 
establish a program to provide education and training in conflict 
resolution and peacekeeping for civilian and military personnel of 
countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
    (b) Funding.--Foreign assistance funds made available for military 
education and training activities may be used to carry out the program 
provided for in subsection (a).

SEC. 7. BUILDING MEDIATION CAPABILITY IN AFRICA.

    (a) Authorization of Assistance.--The President is authorized to 
provide assistance to nongovernmental organizations that are engaged in 
mediation and reconciliation efforts in Africa.
    (b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated 
for sub-Saharan Africa, $500,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995 and 
1996 should be used to carry out subsection (a).

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