III

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 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.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 25, 2000

Mr. HELMS (for himself, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. FRIST, and Mr. FEINGOLD)

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

RESOLUTION

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.

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;
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•SRES 315 ATS

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;
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•SRES 315 ATS

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

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that—

2 (1) the United States Government should do all

3 in its power to help ensure that the Revolutionary

4 United Front and its leaders, as well as other

5 groups committing human rights abuses in Sierra

6 Leone, are held accountable for the crimes and

7 abuses committed against the people of Sierra

8 Leone;

9 (2) the United States Government should not

10 condone, support, or be a party to, any agreement

11 that provides amnesty to those responsible for the

12 crimes and abuses in Sierra Leone; and

13 (3) the United States Government should not

14 provide incentives of any kind to regional supporters

15 of the Revolutionary United Front until all support

16 from them to the Revolutionary United Front has

17 ceased.

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