[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 53 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H2428-H2432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SIERRA LEONE PEACE SUPPORT ACT OF 2000
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3879) to support the Government of the Republic of Sierra
Leone in its peace-building efforts, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 3879
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, 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 $13,000,000 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 to 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) 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.
(b) Expanded International Military Education and Training
Assistance.--Beginning 1 year after the conclusion of free
and fair elections in Sierra Leone, the President may provide
expanded international military education and training
assistance to the military forces and related civilian
personnel of Sierra Leone under section 541 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2347) solely for the
purpose of providing training relating to defense management,
civil-military relations, law enforcement cooperation, and
military justice.
(c) Additional Requirements.--Amounts appropriated pursuant
to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a)--
(1) are in addition to any other amounts available for the
purposes described in such subsection; 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. NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES OF SIERRA LEONE.
(a) Reports to Congress.--
(1) Arms flows.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act,
[[Page H2429]]
the President shall transmit to the Committee on
International Relations of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report
which provides information, including measurable, credible,
and verifiable evidence (to the extent practicable),
concerning the extent to which neighboring countries of the
Republic of Sierra Leone are involved in arms flows into
Sierra Leone.
(2) Sierra leonean minerals.--Not later than 6 months after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall
transmit to the Committee on International Relations of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate a report which provides information,
including measurable, credible, and verifiable evidence (to
the extent practicable), concerning illicit sales of Sierra
Leonean gold and diamonds through neighboring countries of
the Republic of Sierra Leone.
(b) Notification by Secretary of State.--If a report
transmitted by the President pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2)
of subsection (a) contains measurable, credible, or
verifiable evidence that a country is involved in arms flows
into Sierra Leone, or that a country is involved in illicit
sales of Sierra Leonean gold or diamonds through that
country, then the Secretary of State--
(1) shall take all necessary steps to initiate diplomatic
efforts to bring about the termination of such activities by
the country; and
(2) if the country has not ceased the proscribed activity
within 3 months of the initiation of such diplomatic efforts,
shall inform the country of the possibility that United
States foreign assistance for the country may be terminated
or suspended if the country does not cease the proscribed
activity.
(c) Assistance for Neighboring Countries.--United States
assistance may be provided to the central government of a
neighboring country of the Republic of Sierra Leone only if
such government--
(1)(A) provides demonstrated support for the peace process
in the Republic of Sierra Leone in accordance with the Lome
Convention of July 7, 1999; and
(B) does not provide training or other support for the RUF/
AFRC forces or any other forces proscribed under the Lome
Convention; and
(2) 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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
General Leave
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on H.R. 3879.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this measure, which was
introduced by the ranking member of the Committee on International
Relations, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), and
considered by our Committee on International Relations.
I wish I could express strong confidence that Sierra Leone will enjoy
a peaceful and democratic future, but at this point we cannot. I fear
that the significant problems and lack of cooperation with the U.N.
peacekeepers in Sierra Leone that they have experienced since the
outset of their deployment will continue. We also fear that the
Revolutionary United Front, the RUF, which has waged a war of terror
and atrocity against its own citizens, has not changed in its ultimate
objective; that is, the complete dominance of Sierra Leone.
Nonetheless, I support this measure on the basis that we must make
every effort, and even take some chances, where the future of so many
innocent and suffering people is concerned.
My hope is that these funds can be used for a variety of purposes,
including the documentation of continuing abuses and the tracking of
arms flows. They can also support the effort to contain an emerging
international criminal enterprise that operates with the consent,
support, and even the direction of President Charles Taylor of Liberia.
President Taylor pioneered the technique of election by exhaustion in
which a population becomes so fatigued by war and violence that it is
willing to accept as a leader even the very person who inflicted that
violence if he promises to ease their suffering.
The RUF rebels in Sierra Leone seem to be operating from Mr. Taylor's
play book. Of course, they have added their own creative touches such
as carving their initials into the bodies of the children they
kidnapped and chopping the limbs of toddlers to invoke terror in the
population. It is disgraceful that our government gave its blessing to
this brutal and twisted group's entries into the government of Sierra
Leone. I am saddened that the President's special representative for
democracy in Africa presided over the signing of this Faustian bargain
in July last year.
Despite these misgivings, we cannot abandon hope for the beleaguered
people of Sierra Leone. Accordingly, I support the passage of this
measure by the House.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that, at the
conclusion of my remarks, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne)
control the remaining time on this legislation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Connecticut?
There was no objection.
Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
The connection between Sierra Leone and Connecticut is an old one,
starting with the Amistad. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne)
and others just joined us in Connecticut to remember the courage of the
cargo of the Amistad, those people who had been enslaved in their fight
for freedom.
It is sad to see the continued torture of the citizens of Sierra
Leone, and therefore, the little effort that we are putting forth here,
the United States involvement, to try to end the bloodshed, to try to
immobilize and disarm the armed combatants. We need to make sure that
the killing stops. Many of these soldiers are really children, and we
have to work with those in the country to provide accountability for
the victims to work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to
make sure the guilty are pursued, that the rights of the victims are
not forgotten. We must be the leaders here to promote peace in Sierra
Leone, because as almost everywhere, the world looks to the United
States.
The international community is ready to make a significant effort
here, but American leadership, as always, is critical. So I would hope
we would have broad support for this resolution. I commend the chairman
of the subcommittee and the chairman of the full committee for all of
their great work here.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, to be controlled by
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) henceforth.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce), the distinguished chairman of our Subcommittee
on Africa.
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation.
Sierra Leone has experienced one of the most horrific civil wars in
the world over the past decade. The atrocities there have perhaps been
some of the most shocking that we have seen in the world. Tens of
thousands of people have been victimized. There have been killings,
there have been rapes, but most shockingly, there has been a policy of
forced amputations carried out as a terror tactic by the Revolutionary
United Front.
It is hard to imagine, but this rebel group which has won the world's
disdain, has a policy of cutting off the hands, the arms of little boys
and little girls. The streets of the capital, Freetown, is full of
amputees, thousands of amputees, including many children. This is sheer
cowardliness. It deserves the strongest condemnation that is possible
out of this institution, and out of the world.
There should be no question on another issue: the RUF and its allies
have been guilty of attacking a democratically elected government. This
group has been aided and abetted by neighboring Liberia. This bill
brings attention to that aid and has constructive measures designed to
pressure those
[[Page H2430]]
neighbor governments to not wage war on the people of Sierra Leone.
There is a peace agreement in place in Sierra Leone. It is a
precarious peace. Unfortunately, the RUF appears to be reverting to
form, waging war, disregarding peace. The RUF most recently has taken
U.N. peacekeepers hostage. Its leaders have made clear in the most
inflammatory statements that the U.N. is not welcome. Since the
beginning of the peace process, I have expressed my serious
reservations about the policy of bringing the RUF into the Sierra Leone
Government. Well, that has been done. Now I hope that the peace can be
built anyway.
Mr. Speaker, this bill makes a modest contribution to building peace.
We should do this. We should help Nigeria and other West Africa states
who have made a great sacrifice in lives and funds to bring stability
to this country of Sierra Leone. It is in America's interests to see
that terror does not win the day in Sierra Leone. For if it does, more
than Sierra Leone will be imperiled. All of West Africa will be
imperiled, and America would suffer too.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the gentleman from Connecticut for his
legislation. Many of us on the Committee on International Relations
have been concerned about Sierra Leone. We have held several hearings,
we have passed resolutions, and now we have this legislation. There is
strong committee support for this approach.
For the sake of the little boys and girls who tragically will live
their lives with no hands and arms, for the sake of the future of West
Africa, and for America's interest in a stable and better world, I ask
my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman),
the chairman of the full committee, and our ranking member, the
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson) for moving this legislation
forward. I certainly would like to commend my chairman of the
Subcommittee on Africa, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) for
his untiring devotion to the subcommittee and for moving legislation
forward and the interest that he has taken in the problems of the
continent.
{time} 1145
Let me say that Sierra Leone is a country which gained its
independence back in 1961, but since that time it has had a difficult
time from its first president, Momoh, to the current president, Kabbah.
It is a country which has had a difficulty in the quality of life for
its rural people in particular. A country which, incidentally, is small
enough to be able to deal with its problems, a country very rich in
diamonds and other natural resources.
And so I strongly support the Sierra Leone Peace Support Act of 2000,
H.R. 3879, because what this legislation will do is to help to support
the peace-building efforts of Sierra Leone. It would help with the
demobilization and demilitarization and reintegration of the military,
which is essential in order to have people who are carrying arms to put
them back and get back into civilian life.
Mr. Speaker, let me also commend the Nigerian military, as the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) has already done, with the forces
of ECOMOG that for many years kept the peace in Freetown and in Sierra
Leone. Without their efforts, the situation would have been much more
difficult.
I would certainly agree that the RUF has been extraordinarily brutal.
Nowhere in the world has there been more horrific behavior on the part
of a military group, because this group would take its vengeance out on
civilians, and not only civilians, but usually children and women,
amputating hands and legs.
And so it was difficult to come to an accord with the RUF in a
government of reconciliation where President Kabbah has allowed Foday
Sankoh to be a part of the new government, bringing in the rebels with
the government to try to simply have the people of Sierra Leone have a
quality of life that they deserve.
Sierra Leone is a country that has a tremendous background as relates
to the United States. As my colleagues may know, the Amistad, as the
gentleman from (Mr. Gejdenson) talked about, Cinque was from Sierra
Leone; and in the trial they were found not guilty and allowed to go
back to Sierra Leone. I had an opportunity to hear from his great,
great grandchildren who came to Connecticut.
And so, as a matter of fact, after the Revolutionary War, African
American slaves who fought with the British were given their freedom by
Britain and allowed to go back to Sierra Leone, and people who were
picked up on the high seas were also allowed to go to Sierra Leone. So
that is a country that has strong ties with African Americans and
Africans.
We hope that the peace will keep. We are disturbed at the recent
behavior of a small group of the RUF. The majority of them have come
in; but there is a group, anarchist group that has broken off from the
regular RUF organization that Mr. Foday Sankoh is attempting to bring
in. We know that this legislation will go forward to help ameliorate
the situation, and we are hoping to see peace for the people of Sierra
Leone.
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3879, the Sierra
Leone Peace Act of 2000.
Congressman Tony Hall and I were in Sierra Leone a few months ago. We
witnessed the brutal atrocities carried out against the civilian
population by the rebel forces in Sierra Leone. Although both the
government of Sierra Leone and the rebel forces signed the Lome Peace
accord, reports continue to flow out of Sierra Leone about continued
unrest and further atrocities committed by rebel forces.
It is my hope that the Sierra Leone Peace Act will greatly assist the
Lome Peace accords and the continued pursuit of peace, reconciliation,
and recovery for this country that has endured so much.
I recently wrote both President Clinton and Secretary Albright urging
the Administration to set a to be determined date by which the Sierra
Leonian rebels should comply with the peace accords or face being named
by the U.S. as war criminals and that they not be allowed to travel to
the U.S. I submit this correspondence and a copy of my trip report from
my time in Sierra Leone for the Record.
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC, May 1, 2000.
Hon. William J. Clinton,
The President, The White House,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. President: I am writing to you about the
continuing tragedy in Sierra Leone.
As you know, although a tenuous peace is in place, the
former rebels from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) are
disarming at a slow to minimal rate. Numerous reports
indicate that the RUF has taken weapons from U.N.
peacekeepers at gun point. Reports also indicate that
atrocities such as rape, intimidation, and forced
conscription are continuing by the supposedly disbanded RUF.
Present and former RUF units still operate and control
certain sections of the country, specifically the diamond
producing areas.
I have enclosed a letter which I sent to Secretary Albright
outlining proposed action that the U.S. should take if the
RUF continues its atrocities, occupation, and reluctance to
disarm by a to be determined designated date.
The entire country of Sierra Leone will continue to
experience suffering and turmoil unless leadership is
exercised by the U.S.
You must do something (see my letter to Secretary Albright
for proposed courses of U.S. action). I urge you to act
quickly.
Best wishes
Sincerely,
Frank R. Wolf,
Member of Congress.
____
Observations by U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf of Virginia, Visit to Western
Africa: Sierra Leone After a Decade of Civil War, November 30-December
8, 1999
This report provides details of a trip Congressman Tony
Hall of Ohio and I made to Western Africa to see the
conditions in Sierra Leone and in refugee camps nearby in
Guinea. We spent two days in Sierra Leone and an additional
day visiting refugee camps in bordering Guinea. The people
desperately need an end to years of civil strife, terrorism
and brutality. Humanitarian assistance in the form of food,
medical and public health assistance is urgently required.
The country's leaders are struggling with a most fragile
peace accord and the community of nations must do whatever it
can to strengthen it.
Our trip to Western Africa provided the opportunity to
observe conditions in and around Sierra Leone resulting from
a decade-long civil war. I have been to Africa a number of
times, but this was my first time in Western Africa.
Congressman Hall had visited Sierra Leone once about 10 years
ago. I have followed the history of this country for a long
while and have been looking for ways to help the people.
Sierra Leone is a part of the immense portion of Africa
that juts westward into the Atlantic Ocean just above the
equator. It is
[[Page H2431]]
slightly larger than West Virginia and has a population of
about 4.6 million of which about one half million people live
in the capital of Freetown. Though the country is rich in
natural resources, per capita income is only about
$285, which ranks Sierra Leone among the very poorest
nations in the world. This can be attributed primarily to
civil strife and rebel terrorism.
Sierra Leone gained independence from Great Britain in 1961
and a continuing struggle for self governance has followed.
The elect government was toppled by an army coup in 1992 and
a state of civil war has largely existed since. Elections
were again held in 1996 when current President Kabbah emerged
as the winner. He has held office ever since and his
government, with military assistance from The Economic
Community of West African States Military Observer Group
(ECOMOG), has continued to battle rebel forces made up of the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the Armed Forces
Revolutionary Counsel (AFRC). In July 1999, the Lome Peace
Accords were finally signed and a very fragile peace is
beginning to take hold in the region. Presently, it is the
best hope if not the only hope to end years of brutality,
poverty and despair in Sierra Leone.
On December 5, we visited two refugee camps in the
Forecariah Provence of Guinea located about 20 kilometers
across the border from Sierra Leone. Each camp held thousands
of refuges, some of whom have lived there for years. Barely
adequate food supplies are dwindling and there was some
unrest. There is little progress in educating the children or
in pursuing efforts to upgrade an existence reduced to the
most basic of simply sustaining life.
On December 6 and 7, we visited Sierra Leone and its
capital of Freetown. We met with the President and with
leaders of Parliament. We met rebel leaders, members of the
clergy and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)
representatives. And we met with many victims who will carry
throughout their lives horrible physical and emotional scars
of years of civil war perpetrated because of greed and power.
Existence for too many in Sierra Leone is one of hunger,
homelessness, poverty and pain. And this seems strange.
Sierra Leone is, or should be, an agricultural oasis. Its
temperate climate, fertile soil and abundant rain should
result in the production of crops and goods far above what
the people could consume. The Atlantic Ocean yields an
unending harvest of seafood and offers immediate access to
important trade routes around the world. And the country is
rich in diamonds and minerals for which there is a huge
market and huge demand. Yet, because of the civil war, people
are without even the basic necessities of life.
We visited a housing reclamation project established by
Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Much of Freetown has been
destroyed, looted and burned by rebel forces and CRS has
started a program of helping people to rebuild their lost
homes. The Sierra Leonians supply the labor, the muscle and
much of the raw material from other destroyed structures and
CRS offers guidance, harder-to-get building supplies, food
rations and a great deal of encouragement. Many new homes are
rising out of the rubble. It is a good program.
We visited the Holy Mary Clinic. Two doctors, a husband and
wife team, have been operating a clinic for several years to
deal with young children who are the worst victims of the
war. About 3,000 girls and boys have been taken hostage by
rebel forces and many continue to be held today. Some 500
young girls have been returned. They have been horribly
sexually abused and were used as sex slaves, temporary wives
and household workers. They have been returned or have
escaped and are psychologically devastated. Some have no
parents left alive and have no one to turn to, no family to
help them. Many are pregnant and have sexually transmitted
diseases (STD). These are young girls, many are barely 14
years old. The boys taken by the rebels are also young
children and have been brainwashed, probably drugged and then
recruited into the rebel army.
Holy Mary Clinic does a wonderful job of dealing with this
trauma and with young infants and pregnant girls needing pre-
natal and medical care and counseling. The clinic doctors
rely on friends, colleagues and family from Italy for
supplies, medicines and equipment. They are doing an
outstanding job, but are stretched so thin and could use
help. The AIDS virus adds to the despair and the
hopelessness, too. We visited a therapeutic feeding center
where dozens of starving infants hover on the edge of death.
These young children are so malnourished they have no
strength to eat and are being force fed in an attempt to
sustain life. They are so thin and so fragile that we were
afraid that they would break if we just even touched them.
We saw a former railroad repair factory converted to
housing for displaced persons where thousands of homeless
refugees are being warehoused. This huge former factory
building provides a roof over the refugees' heads and little
more. There were few indications of real help being applied
to return refugees to a self-sufficient life.
The Murray Town amputee camp is where victims of rebel
brutality go after having their limbs mindlessly hacked off
with machetes, axes or knives simply to frighten and
terrorize. The amputees receive counseling, some medical care
and the beginnings of assistance with crutches and
prostheses. They are also fed and have a place to stay.
One of the first people we saw was a 14-year-old girl whose
parents had been killed. She was pregnant, having been raped
by rebel soldiers, and had both hands cut off above the
wrist. We saw tiny children who had lost limbs. We heard
tales of a grotesque lottery where a person drew a slip from
a bag. If the slip contained the word ``hand'', ``arm'',
``leg'', ``ear'', ``both feet'', ``head'' or other parts of
the body, then the rebels proceeded to carry out the
sentence. This sounds unbelievable, but we saw the painful
results. Sometimes the rebel butcher offered a choice--long
sleeve or short sleeve. That meant: do you want your arm cut
off at the wrist or above the elbow?
Yet one of the camp leaders who had lost his right arm this
way told us of seeing the two rebels who mutilated him when
they paid a visit to the amputee center. He said that he had
forgiven them. He said it was time to move forward from this
chapter of despair. Reconciliation is what he was talking
about.
We heard a member of the clergy tell of listening to a
small boy ask of the camp counselor, ``When will my hands
grow back?'' The rebels abused children too young to even
have an inkling of what was happening to them.
comments and recommendations
The West, including the United States and European Union
(EU) nations, should quickly provide food and medical
supplies to save lives which are in danger. The World Food
Programme has asked that more food supplies be directed to
Guinea and Sierra Leone so basic food needs can be met. We
were told that the food allotment to the refugees is down
from a caloric intake of 2,100 a day to 1,400 a day.
The civil war is largely being funded by the sale of
unregulated diamonds (conflict diamonds) being mined in
regions held by rebel forces. Congressman Hall has introduced
legislation to certify the country of origin of all diamonds.
Thus a diamond buyer will know where diamonds have been mined
and a purchaser can avoid buying conflict diamonds. Not only
are the profits from these illicit diamonds used to fund a
war of terror against the people of Sierra Leone, but the
people are being deprived of the benefits that these natural
resources could offer their society. Passage of Congressman
Hall's bill would be a huge stride in ending this practice.
Also, we have written United Nations Secretary General Kofi
Annan asking the U.N. to sanction black-market diamonds that
are not certified by the government of Sierra Leone.
Every effort should be made to support the current
disarmament program which is in place but wobbly. More needs
to be done to make it desirable for the rebels to turn in
their weapons, come in out of the bush and rejoin society. So
far only a few thousand out of about 45,000 rebels have
surrendered their arms.
The West should exert every possible leverage on rebel
leaders and also Charles Taylor in Liberia, who is aiding the
rebels, to end the civil war. The fragile peace agreement
between the government, the RUF, the AFRC and their leaders
must be sustained, enforced and nourished. There is an
African saying we heard, ``When the elephants fight, the
grass dies.'' This is certainly the case here. Bad leaders
motivated by greed and power have nearly destroyed a nation
and its people.
Pressure from the United States government and others
including European Union (EU) nations on the leadership of
the RUF/AFRC to implement the provisions of the accord would
be helpful in ensuring success.
Similar pressure on Liberian President Taylor to ensure
that arms and men do not enter Sierra Leone from Liberia
would also help.
The U.S. government joined by EU nations should send these
leaders the message that unless peace is achieved, they will
not be welcomed in the West. Their families and children will
not be welcomed. No visas will be issued. Outside their
borders, these leaders will be treated as war criminals and
there will be no place for them to spend their ill-gotten
gains.
And the process of reconciliation for the people of Sierra
Leone needs to begin. Here, as elsewhere around the globe,
lasting peace will depend upon the people being able to
reconcile their differences.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge and salute all those in
the region who came from America and elsewhere to lend a hand
to the people of Sierra Leone. The ambassadors and embassy
staff personnel, the NGO representatives, doctors and medical
staff and clergy who are there at personal risk and
discomfort are truly making a difference, and I was so proud
to see the job they are doing.
We saw the great service of citizens from Congressman Tony
Hall's district in Dayton, Ohio. They have been working for
years on schools, housing, training academies for the blind
and other terribly needed programs that have been helping the
people of Sierra Leone. It has been said that it is better to
light a candle than to curse the darkness. The people of
Dayton have ignited an eternal flame in Freetown.
____
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC, March 16, 2000.
Hon. Madeleine Korbel Albright,
Secretary of State,
Washington, DC.
Dear Madam Secretary: I write today about the worsening
situation in Sierra
[[Page H2432]]
Leone. Congressman Troy Hall and I visited Sierra Leone last
December. We were horrified at the atrocities we saw.
Throughout the country, rebel groups have tortured, killed,
and maimed thousands of people to gain control of the
country's diamond industry, fueling the trade in illicit
``conflict diamonds.'' Across a broad spectrum, the
conditions in Sierra Leone were among the worse I have ever
seen in the many places I've visited in the world.
At the time of our visit, it was too early to determine the
effectiveness of the Lome Peace Accord and the rebels'
compliance with it. In my trip report, which I have enclosed
for you, I outlined several recommendations about the
developing situation in Sierra Leone and the prospective
response and involvement of the United States and Europe in
achieving peace and stability in the region. In light of the
current situation in Sierra Leone, I want to reiterate those
recommendations with you.
First, the flow of conflict diamonds from rebel held areas
must stop. Reports indicate that rebel forces still control
most of the diamond producing regions in Sierra Leone,
suggesting that the trafficking of these diamonds is going to
continue to fuel bloodshed upon the people of Sierra Leone.
Reports indicate that an overwhelming majority of rebels have
not disarmed and that they have control of most, if not all,
of the diamond producing region. This condition cannot be
tolerated by the U.S., Europe, ECOMOG, and the United
Nations.
Congressman Hall has introduced legislation, H.R. 3188, to
certify the country of origin of all diamonds. Thus a diamond
buyer will know where a diamond has been mined and a
purchaser can avoid buying conflict diamonds. Passage of
Congressman Hall's bill will be a huge stride in ending this
practice. Your support for this important legislation would
be very helpful.
My report stated that every effort should be made to
support the disarmament program in Sierra Leone. Reports
include that not only are the rebels not disarming, but they
have repeatedly confronted at gunpoint ECOMOG and U.N.
peacekeepers and taken their weapons, ammunition, armored
personnel carriers, etc. Bold action is needed from the
Administration on this matter. I urge you to issue a
statement and a fixed date, that you think is reasonable and
helpful, to the rebels making clear when the rebels should be
completely disarmed and what action the U.S. will take if
they are not disarmed.
Promised U.S. action if the rebels do not comply with the
conditions for disarmament should be:
They and their families will not be allowed entry into the
U.S., Britain or any other country--no visas should be issued
to rebels or their family members;
If the rebels have bank accounts in the U.S. and in Europe,
they should be frozen and they should be denied access to
these accounts and to future commerce with the U.S., bank
accounts of rebel family members should be included in this
prohibition too;
The rebel leaders should be declared war criminals by the
U.S. and other Western countries and direct its intelligence
and police agencies to actively pursue apprehending rebels
who have not disarmed.
These same conditions should also be applied to Liberian
Charles Taylor and all Liberians who have assisted the rebels
in Sierra Leone. It has come to my attention that Taylor
escaped from a Massachusetts prison and fled to Liberia.
Taylor and many Liberians have blood on their hands from
their support of these rebels. By being the primary conduit
for trading the conflict diamonds mined by the rebels, and by
reportedly supplying the rebels with military assistance,
Taylor and others have fueled the atrocities committed by the
rebels upon the people of Sierra Leone. The U.S. should enact
similar measures and conditions against Taylor and other
Liberians as those I proposed for the rebels in Sierra Leone.
If the rebels are not disarmed and if Taylor and other
Liberians continue to traffic in conflict diamonds and to
provide the rebels with military assistance, Taylor and
others should be named as war criminals and they should not
be allowed to travel outside of their country. You should fix
a date that you think is reasonable and helpful.
Lastly, I ask that the U.S. continue to bolster its efforts
to bring belief, aid, and ultimately reconciliation to the
region. U.S. leadership in helping the people of Sierra Leone
recover from the brutality is integral in creating stability
and peace in the region.
I do appreciate you taking the time to visit Sierra Leone.
It was a good thing to do.
I would be happy to discuss with you in more detail my
recommendations and observations. Thank you for your
consideration.
Best wishes.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gutknecht). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3879, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________