[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3879 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3879

To support the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone in its peace-
               building efforts, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2000

Mr. Gejdenson (for himself, Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. Towns, Mr. Hall 
 of Ohio, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Snyder, Ms. Lee, Ms. Millender-McDonald, 
 and Mr. Wexler) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
   the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the 
Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined 
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as 
        fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To support the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone in its peace-
               building efforts, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Sierra Leone Peace Support Act of 
2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Eight years of civil war and massive human rights 
        violations have created a humanitarian crisis in the Republic 
        of Sierra Leone, leaving over 50,000 dead and 1,000,000 
        displaced from their homes.
            (2) As many as 480,000 Sierra Leoneans have fled into 
        neighboring countries, especially Guinea.
            (3) All parties to the conflict have committed abuses, but 
        the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and its ally, the former 
        Sierra Leonean army (AFRC) are responsible for the overwhelming 
        majority.
            (4) The RUF and AFRC have systematically abducted, raped, 
        mutilated, killed, or forced children to fight alongside RUF 
        soldiers.
            (5) The RUF continues to hold hundreds and perhaps 
        thousands of prisoners, including many child soldiers, despite 
        the agreement of RUF leadership at Lome to release all 
        children.
            (6) The civil defense forces committed human rights 
        violations, including killings and recruitment of child 
        soldiers, and Economic Community of West African States 
        Military Observer Group (ECOMOG) forces have also committed 
        human rights abuses, including executions of captured 
        combatants and killings of civilians.
            (7) Neighboring countries, especially Liberia and Burkina 
        Faso, have contributed greatly to the destruction of Sierra 
        Leone by aiding and arming the RUF and providing sanctuary for 
        RUF fighters.
            (8) International humanitarian efforts to assist Sierra 
        Leoneans, both at home and in Guinea, have fallen far short of 
        need such that conditions in refugee camps and among displaced 
        persons camps are deplorable, food and medicine is dangerously 
        inadequate, and the refugee population on the Sierra Leonean 
        border continues to be preyed upon by RUF insurgents and 
        subjected to rape, mutilation, or killing.
            (9) Demobilization, demilitarization, and reintegration 
        (DDR) efforts, as called for in the Lome agreement of July 
        1999, have begun months late and are still at beginning stages.
            (10) With the withdrawal of the West African peacekeeping 
        forces, the United Nations Security Council has approved the 
        deployment of 11,000 peacekeeping forces for Sierra Leone.
            (11) There are approximately 45,000 combatants, including 
        many child soldiers, in Sierra Leone who must be demobilized, 
        provided with alternate employment, and reintegrated into their 
        communities.
            (12) Both the Government of Sierra Leone and the RUF/AFRC 
        formally agreed in the Lome Convention of July 7, 1999, to 
        uphold, promote, and protect the human rights (including the 
        right to life and liberty, freedom from torture, the right to a 
        fair trial, freedom of conscience, expression, and association, 
        and the right to take part in the governance of one's country) 
        of every Sierra Leonean as well as the enforcement of 
        humanitarian law.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--The Congress urges the President to 
vigorously promote efforts to end further degradation of conditions in 
the Republic of Sierra Leone from further degradation, to dramatically 
increase United States assistance to demobilization, demilitarization, 
and reintegration (DDR) efforts and humanitarian initiatives, to assist 
in the collection of documentation about human rights abuses by all 
parties, and to engage in diplomatic initiatives aimed at consolidating 
the peace and protecting human rights.

SEC. 3. DEMOBILIZATION, DEMILITARIZATION, AND REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
President $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 for assistance under chapter 
4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2221 et 
seq.) to the Sierra Leone DDR Trust Fund of the International Bank for 
Reconstruction and Development for demobilization, demilitarization, 
and reintegration assistance in Sierra Leone. Assistance under the 
preceding sentence may not be used to provide stipends to ex-combatants 
of the civil war in the Republic of Sierra Leone.
    (b) Additional Requirements.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to 
subsection (a)--
            (1) are in addition any other amounts available for the 
        purpose described in such subsection; and
            (2) are authorized to remain available until expended.

SEC. 4. DEMOCRATIZATION, ELECTORAL, AND JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Democratization and Electoral Assistance.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        the President $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 for assistance--
                    (A) to train political parties in the Republic of 
                Sierra Leone in democratic processes; and
                    (B) to assist with the preparation for democratic 
                elections in Sierra Leone.
            (2) Limitation.--Assistance under paragraph (1)(A) may only 
        be provided to political parties whose leaders and members 
        cooperate with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra 
        Leone (UNAMSIL) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 
        described in section 5(b).
    (b) Judicial Assistance.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
the President $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 for assistance to rebuild 
and strengthen the capacity of the judiciary in the Republic of Sierra 
Leone and to assist efforts to establish the rule of law and maintain 
law and order in Sierra Leone.
    (c) Additional Requirements.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under each of subsections (a) and (b)--
            (1) are in addition any other amounts available for the 
        purposes described in each such subsection, respectively; and
            (2) are authorized to remain available until expended.

SEC. 5. ACCOUNTABILITY.

    (a) Statement of Congressional Concern About Accountability.--It is 
the sense of the Congress that a thorough and nonpartisan initiative to 
collect information on human rights abuses by all parties to the 
conflict in the Republic of Sierra Leone be undertaken. Comprehensive 
and detailed information, particularly the identification of specific 
units, individuals, and commanders found to have been especially 
abusive, will be essential for vetting human rights abusers from the 
newly formed armed forces and police forces of Sierra Leone and for 
deterring abuses by all parties in the future. Accordingly, the 
Congress calls upon the administration to strongly support an 
independent process of data collection on human rights abuses in Sierra 
Leone, for use by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission when it has 
been established, and to support any future initiatives of 
international accountability for Sierra Leone.
    (b) Assistance for Truth and Reconciliation Commission.--
            (1) Assistance for establishment and support of 
        commission.--The President is authorized to provide assistance 
        for the establishment and support of a Truth and Reconciliation 
        Commission to establish accountability for human rights abuses 
        in the Republic of Sierra Leone.
            (2) Assistance for human rights data collection.--The 
        Secretary of State, acting through the Assistant Secretary of 
        the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, is authorized 
        to collect human rights data with respect to Sierra Leone and 
        assist the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in carrying out 
        its functions.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--
                    (A) Establishment and support of commission.--There 
                is authorized to be appropriated to the President 
                $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2001 for assistance under 
                chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
                1961 to carry out paragraph (1).
                    (B) Human rights data collection.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State 
                $500,000 for fiscal year 2001 to carry out paragraph 
                (2). Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization 
                of appropriations under the preceding sentence shall be 
                deposited in the ``Human Rights Fund'' of the Bureau of 
                Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the Department of 
                State.
                    (C) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to 
                the authorization of appropriations under subparagraphs 
                (A) and (B) are authorized to remain available until 
                expended.

SEC. 6. LIBERIA AND BURKINA FASO.

    (a) Reports to Congress.--
            (1) Arms flows.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
        Congress a report to the Committee on International Relations 
        of the House of Representatives, in classified or unclassified 
        form, which provides information concerning intelligence 
        estimates of arms flows into the Republic of Sierra Leone, 
        particularly detailing any role of Liberia and Burkina Faso.
            (2) Sierra leonean minerals.--Not later than 6 months after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
        submit a report to the Committee on International Relations of 
        the House of Representatives, in classified or unclassified 
        form, which provides information concerning illicit sales of 
        Sierra Leonean gold and diamonds through Liberia.
    (b) Assistance for Neighboring Countries.--
            (1) United States assistance may be provided to the Central 
        Government of a neighboring country if such government--
                    (A) provides demonstrated support for the peace 
                process in the Republic of Sierra Leone; and
                    (B) does not provide training or other support for 
                the RUF/AFRC forces or any other forces organized 
against the elected government of Sierra Leone.
            (2) United States assistance may be provided to the Central 
        Government of neighboring countries only if such Government 
        cooperates with efforts to monitor arms flows to Sierra Leone.
            (3) United states assistance.--In this subsection, the term 
        ``United States assistance'' means assistance of any kind which 
        is provided by grant, sale, loan, lease, credit, guaranty, or 
        insurance, or by any other means, by any agency or 
        instrumentality of the United States Government.

SEC. 7. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) mechanisms should be in place to provide for an 
        increase in assistance to the United Nations peacekeeping force 
        to enable that force to protect civilians from atrocities in 
        the event of a breakdown in the peace agreement and a return to 
        fighting; and
            (2) if the governments of countries neighboring the 
        Republic of Sierra Leone are determined to be aiding insurgents 
        in Sierra Leone and armed conflict resumes, the United States 
        should impose sanctions against RUF/AFRC supporters in the 
        region by denying visas to the President and other high 
        government officials in Liberia and Burkina Faso, freezing 
        their assets in the United States, and consideration of an 
        embargo of diamonds coming from areas not under the control of 
        the Government of Sierra Leone.

SEC. 8. DESIGNATION FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS 
              TO SIERRA LEONEANS.

    (a) Designation.--
            (1) In general.--For purposes of section 244 of the 
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a), the Republic 
        of Sierra Leone shall each be treated as if it had been 
        designated under subsection (b) of such section, subject to the 
        provisions of this section.
            (2) Period of designation.--Such designation shall take 
        effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall 
        remain in effect until such time as the President certifies to 
        the Congress that conditions are sufficiently improved to allow 
        aliens to return to Sierra Leone, or such time as the 
        designation with respect to Sierra Leone expires and is not 
        extended, whichever occurs later.
    (b) Aliens Eligible.--In applying section 244 of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act pursuant to the designation under this Act, subject 
to section 244(c)(3) of such Act, an alien who is a national of the 
Republic of Sierra Leone meets the requirement of section 244(c)(1) of 
such Act only if--
            (1) the alien has been continuously physically present in 
        the United States since January 1, 1998;
            (2) the alien is admissible as an immigrant, except as 
        otherwise provided under section 244(c)(2)(A) of such Act, and 
        is not ineligible for temporary protected status under section 
        244(c)(2)(B) of such Act; and
            (3) the alien registers for temporary protected status in a 
        manner which the Attorney General shall establish.
    (c) Consent To Travel Abroad.--The Attorney General shall give the 
prior consent to travel abroad described in section 244(f)(3) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act to an alien who is granted temporary 
protected status pursuant to the designation under this Act, if the 
alien establishes to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that 
emergency and extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the alien 
require the alien to depart for a brief, temporary trip abroad. An 
alien returning to the United States in accordance with such an 
authorization shall be treated the same as any other returning alien 
provided temporary protected status under section 244 of such Act.
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