[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 81 (Friday, June 23, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H5075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              SIERRA LEONE

  (Mr. ROYCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring attention to the tragic 
situation in Sierra Leone, where the democratically elected government 
of this West African country has long been under attack by rebels who 
have relied on the most heinous tactics, including systematically 
chopping off the limbs of little children. In Sierra Leone, the world 
is seeing pure evil.
  The administration's response was to encourage a deal with the 
rebels, which predictably feel apart and now we have a U.N. 
peacekeeping operation there. Well, the fact is that this peacekeeping 
operation is not up to the task. Its record of incompetence includes 
its troops having willingly turned over weapons and equipment to the 
rebels. This operation remains in shambles, and more troops and 
resources will not address its shortcomings.
  The rebels could, though, be marginalized by the Nigerian military 
and the defense forces of the Sierra Leone government, working with 
strong logistical training and other backing from the British. The U.S. 
should be focused on backing this effort, providing support to the 
Nigerian troops in Sierra Leone.
  Whether African states move towards great stability is very much in 
question. An alternative and disastrous vision of state disintegration 
is looming for large parts of Africa. That is why a response to Sierra 
Leone is so important.

                          ____________________