[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S4491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 315--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
 CRIMES AND ABUSES COMMITTED AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF SIERRA LEONE BY THE 
           REVOLUTIONARY UNITED FRONT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Mr. HELMS (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Frist, and Mr. Feingold) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 315

       Whereas more than 1,000,000 of Sierra Leone's 5,200,000 
     population are internally displaced and more than 500,000 are 
     refugees as a direct result of the civil war in Sierra Leone, 
     at least 50,000 people have been killed during the civil war, 
     untold numbers of people have been mutilated and disabled 
     largely by the Revolutionary United Front, and more than 
     20,000 individuals, including many children, are missing or 
     have been kidnapped by the Revolutionary United Front;
       Whereas the Revolutionary United Front continues to 
     terrorize the population of Sierra Leone by mutilating their 
     enemies and innocent civilians, including women and children, 
     by chopping off their ears, noses, hands, arms, and legs;
       Whereas the Revolutionary United Front continues to 
     terrorize the population of Sierra Leone by decapitating 
     innocent victims, including children as young as 10 months 
     old and elderly men and women;
       Whereas the Revolutionary United Front abducts women and 
     children for use as forced laborers, sex slaves, and as human 
     shields during skirmishes with government forces and the 
     forces of the Economic Community of West African States;
       Whereas the Revolutionary United Front has kidnapped boys 
     as young as 6 or 7 years old and used them to kill and steal 
     and to become soldiers, and its forces have routinely raped 
     women and young girls as a terror tactic;
       Whereas the Revolutionary United Front has abducted 
     civilians, missionaries, humanitarian aid workers, United 
     Nations peacekeepers, and journalists;
       Whereas Charles Taylor, the President of Liberia, has 
     provided and continues to provide significant support and 
     direction to the Revolutionary United Front in exchange for 
     diamonds and other natural resources and is therefore 
     culpable for the abuses in Sierra Leone;
       Whereas the Lome Peace Accords did not hold the 
     Revolutionary United Front accountable for their abuses and, 
     in fact, rewarded Foday Sankoh and other Revolutionary United 
     Front leaders with high government offices and control of 
     diamond mining throughout Sierra Leone;
       Whereas the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone is 
     not a legitimate political movement, entity, or party;
       Whereas all sides in the civil war in Sierra Leone are 
     guilty of serious human rights abuses; and
       Whereas the Revolutionary United Front led by Foday Sankoh 
     is responsible for breaking the Lome Peace Accords and for 
     the violent aftermath that has consumed Sierra Leone since 
     May 1, 2000: Now, therefore, be it
         Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the United States Government should do all in its power 
     to help ensure that the Revolutionary United Front and its 
     leaders, as well as other groups committing human rights 
     abuses in Sierra Leone, are held accountable for the crimes 
     and abuses committed against the people of Sierra Leone;
       (2) the United States Government should not condone, 
     support, or be a party to, any agreement that provides 
     amnesty to those responsible for the crimes and abuses in 
     Sierra Leone; and
       (3) the United States Government should not provide 
     incentives of any kind to regional supporters of the 
     Revolutionary United Front until all support from them to the 
     Revolutionary United Front has ceased.

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