H. Res. 62

In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

June 15, 1999.

Whereas the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC)

military junta, which on May 27, 1997, overthrew the

democratically elected government of Sierra Leone led by

President Ahmed Kabbah, suspended the constitution,

banned political activities and public meetings, and invited the rebel fighters of the Revolutionary United Front

(RUF) to join the junta;

Whereas the AFRC and RUF then mounted ‘‘Operation No

Living Thing’’, a campaign of killing, egregious human

rights violations, and looting, that continued until President Kabbah was restored to power by the Economic

Community of West African States Military Observation

Group (ECOMOG) on March 10, 1998;

Whereas the AFRC and RUF have escalated their 8 year

reign of terror against the citizens of Sierra Leone, which

includes heinous acts such as forcibly amputating the

limbs of defenseless civilians of all ages, raping women

and children, and wantonly killing innocent citizens;

Whereas the Kamajor civil defense group has committed summary executions of captured rebels and persons suspected

of aiding the rebels;
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Whereas the AFRC and RUF continue to abduct children,

forcibly provide them with military training, and place

them on the front-line during rebel incursions;

Whereas countries in and outside of the region, including Liberia, Burkina Faso, and Libya, and mercenaries from

Ukraine and other countries, are directly supporting the

AFRC/RUF terrorist campaign against the legitimate

government and citizens of Sierra Leone;

Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that last year more than

210,000 Sierra Leoneans fled the country to Guinea,

bringing the number to 350,000, most of whom have left

Sierra Leone to escape the AFRC/RUF campaign of terror and atrocities, as have an additional 90,000 Sierra

Leoneans who have sought safe haven in Liberia;

Whereas the refugee camps in Guinea and Liberia may be at

risk of being used as safe havens for rebels and staging

areas for attacks against Sierra Leone;

Whereas the humanitarian crisis in Sierra Leone has reached

epic proportions with people dying from a lack of food,

medical treatment, and medicine, while humanitarian operations are impeded by the countrywide war and the resultant destruction of infrastructure;

Whereas the Nigerian-led intervention force, ECOMOG, has

deployed some 15,000 troops in Sierra Leone in an attempt to end the cycle of violence and ensure the maintenance of its democratically elected government at the request of the legitimate Government of Sierra Leone and

with the support of the Economic Community of West

African States (ECOWAS);
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Whereas the escalating violence and terror in Sierra Leone

perpetrated by the rebel AFRC/RUF threatens stability

in West Africa and has the immediate potential of spilling over into Guinea and Liberia;

Whereas the ECOWAS Group of Seven recently met in Guinea in an attempt to bring about a cessation of hostilities

and a negotiated settlement of the conflict; and

Whereas the United Nations report in February 1999 documented human rights abuses by the RUF, the Kamajor

civil defense group, and summary executions by

ECOMOG: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) welcomes the cessation of hostilities and

3 calls for the respect of human rights by all combat4 ants;

5 (2) applauds the effective diplomacy of the De6 partment of State and the Reverend Jesse Jackson,

7 United States Special Presidential Envoy for the

8 promotion of democracy in Africa, particularly the

9 successful efforts in helping to formulate a cease-fire

10 arrangement;

11 (3) supports the efforts of all parties to bring

12 lasting peace and national reconciliation in Sierra

13 Leone;

14 (4) calls on all parties, including government of15 ficials and the RUF, to commit to a cease-fire;
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1 (5) appeals to all parties to the conflict to en2 gage in dialogue without any preconditions to bring

3 about a long-term solution to this civil strife in Si4 erra Leone;

5 (6) supports the people of Sierra Leone in their

6 quest for a democratic and stable country and a rec7 onciled society;

8 (7) urges the President, the Secretary of State,

9 and the Assistant Secretary of State for African Af10 fairs to support the democratically elected govern11 ment of Sierra Leone and continue to give high pri12 ority to helping resolve the devastating conflict in

13 that country, which would be an important contribu14 tion to stability in the West Africa region;

15 (8) abhors the gross violations of human rights

16 ongoing in Sierra Leone, including the dismember17 ment of citizens (including children) by the Armed

18 Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Revo19 lutionary United Front (RUF) and demands that

20 they immediately stop such heinous acts;

21 (9) condemns the West African countries and

22 those outside the region that are aiding the AFRC/

23 RUF and demands they immediately withdraw their

24 combatants and cease providing military, financial,
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1 political, and other types of assistance to the rebels

2 in Sierra Leone;

3 (10) applauds the Economic Community of

4 West African States Military Observation Group

5 (ECOMOG) for its support of the legitimate Govern6 ment of Sierra Leone and urges it to diversify its

7 forces with troops from additional Economic Com8 munity of West African States (ECOWAS) countries

9 and remain engaged in Sierra Leone until a com10 prehensive settlement of the conflict is achieved;

11 (11) calls upon the United States to provide in12 creased, appropriate logistical and political support

13 for ECOMOG;

14 (12) calls on the United States to appoint an

15 independent commission to investigate human rights

16 violations;

17 (13) calls on the United Nations Security Coun18 cil to fully support, financially and diplomatically,

19 the activities of the human rights section of the

20 United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone

21 (UNOMSIL);

22 (14) calls upon the United States to provide in23 creased, appropriate logistical and political support

24 for Ghana and Mali, countries that participate in

25 ECOMOG; and
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1 (15) urges the President to appoint a special

2 envoy for Sierra Leone.

Attest:

Clerk.