Sierra Leone Peace Support Act of 2000

Summary: (Sec. 3) Authorizes appropriations to the President for FY 2001 for certain assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to the Sierra Leone DDR Trust Fund of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for demobilization, demilitarization, and reintegration assistance in Sierra Leone (but not for stipends to ex-combatants of the civil war in that country).
(Sec. 4) Authorizes appropriations to the President for FY 2001 for assistance to: (1) rebuild and strengthen the capacity of the judiciary in Sierra Leone; and (2) assist efforts to establish the rule of law and maintain law and order there.
Authorizes the President, beginning one year after the conclusion of free and fair elections in Sierra Leone, to provide expanded international military education and training assistance to the military forces and related civilian personnel of Sierra Leone under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 solely for the purpose of providing training relating to defense management, civil-military relations, law enforcement cooperation, and military justice.
(Sec. 5) Declares the sense of Congress in favor of a thorough and nonpartisan initiative to collect comprehensive and detailed information on human rights abuses by all parties to the conflict in Sierra Leone, including the identification of specific units, individuals, and commanders found to have been especially abusive. Calls upon the administration strongly to support: (1) 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 (2) any future initiatives of international accountability for Sierra Leone.
Authorizes the President to provide assistance for the establishment and support of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to establish accountability for human rights abuses in Sierra Leone.
Authorizes the Secretary of State, acting through the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, to collect human rights data with respect to Sierra Leone and assist the TRC.
Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 for: (1) establishment and support of the TRC; and (2) human rights data collection.
(Sec. 6) Directs the President to report to specified congressional committees information, including measurable, credible, and verifiable evidence, concerning: (1) the extent to which countries neighboring on Sierra Leone are involved in arms flows into that country; and (2) illicit sales of Sierra Leonean gold and diamonds through neighboring countries.
Declares that, if such a report 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 shall: (1) take all necessary steps to initiate diplomatic efforts to bring about the termination of such activities by the country; and (2) inform the country, if it has not ceased the proscribed activity within three months after initiation of such diplomatic efforts, that U.S. foreign assistance may be terminated or suspended if it does not cease such activity.
Authorizes U.S. assistance to the Central Government of a neighboring country if such government: (1) provides demonstrated support for the peace process in Sierra Leone in accordance with the Lome Convention of July 7, 1999; and (2) does not provide training or other support for the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the former Sierra Leonean army (AFRC) forces, or any other forces proscribed under the Lome Convention. Conditions assistance on such Government's cooperation with efforts to monitor arms flows to Sierra Leone.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Sierra Leone Peace Support Act of 
2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF THE 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 the 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, 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.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 3, 2000.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.