[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 83 (Monday, June 16, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1215]]

 EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER RECENT EVENTS IN SIERRA LEONE IN THE WAKE OF 
                        THE RECENT MILITARY COUP

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. AMO HOUGHTON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 16, 1997

  Mr. HOUGHTON. Mr. Speaker, today a bipartisan group of colleagues and 
I have introduced a bill condemning the recent military coup d'etat in 
the Republic of Sierra Leone. The coup caused a great setback for 
democracy in this small West African nation. Let me explain.
  On February 26, 1996, Sierra Leone held their first democratic 
elections in nearly 30 years. There had been a military coup less than 
a month before the election, and a civil war was still taking place in 
the countryside. A runoff election to choose between the two 
frontrunners in the presidential race occurred on March 15, 1996.
  Despite some minor inadequacies, a group of international observers 
deemed the elections to be free and fair. On March 29, 1996, Ahmed 
Tejan Kabbah of the Sierra Leone People's Party was sworn in as the 
President of Sierra Leone. This peaceful transition from a military 
regime to a freely elected civilian government was a tremendous step 
onto the road to democracy.
  Not long after the inauguration, I came to the floor with some of my 
colleagues to congratulate President Kabbah and the people of Sierra 
Leone through House Concurrent Resolution 160. The bill passed 
unanimously through both the House and Senate.
  Things were going well in Sierra Leone during their first year as a 
democracy. For example, when there were problems in neighboring 
Liberia, Sierra Leone allowed the United States Marines to use their 
airport as a base to evacuate American citizens from Monrovia.
  Unfortunately, on May 25, 1997, an unruly gang of thugs staged a coup 
d'etat, taking many of us by surprise. Johnny Paul Koroma and his Armed 
Forces Ruling Council took responsibility for the coup. President 
Kabbah and members of the government were forced to leave the country 
as the United States Marines arrived to the country again--this time to 
evacuate our citizens and other foreign nationals from Sierra Leone. 
Those who had to stay behind were subject to rampant killing, looting, 
raping, and a disruption of critical relief supplies throughout the 
country.
  It is because of all this that a group of our colleagues, 
specifically Alcee Hastings, Tony Hall, Chairman Ed Royce, Ranking 
Member Bob Menendez, and the entire membership of the House 
Subcommittee on Africa, decided to introduce a concurrent resolution 
expressing our concern for the people of Sierra Leone. In the 
resolution, we call for an end to violence, restoration of the 
democratically elected government, the protection and safety of 
international aid workers who remain in the country, and what is most 
important, a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
  So, it is my hope, Mr. Speaker, that you and all of my colleagues in 
the House and Senate will join us in support of democracy and order in 
Africa--specifically in the Republic of Sierra Leone.

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