III

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. RES. 54

Condemning the escalating violence, the gross violation of human rights and

attacks against civilians, and the attempt to overthrow a democratically

elected government in Sierra Leone.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY 25, 1999

Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself, Mr. FRIST, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. JEFFORDS, Mr.

WELLSTONE, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) submitted the following resolution;

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

RESOLUTION

Condemning the escalating violence, the gross violation of

human rights and attacks against civilians, and the attempt to overthrow a democratically elected government

in Sierra Leone.

Whereas the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC)

military junta and the rebel fighters of the Revolutionary

United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone mounted a campaign of ‘‘Operation No Living Thing’’ in 1997 and have

recently renewed the terror;

Whereas the atrocities and violence against the citizens of Sierra Leone, which include forced amputations, raping of

women and children, pillaging farms, and the killing of

the civilian population, has continued for more than 8

years;
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•SRES 54 IS

Whereas the AFRC and RUF continue to kidnap children,

forcibly train them, and send them as combatants in the

conflict in Sierra Leone;

Whereas the Nigerian-led intervention force, Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), which has deployed nearly 15,000 troops to Sierra Leone, has made

a considerable contribution towards ending the cycle of

violence there, despite the fact that some of its members

have engaged in violations of humanitarian law;

Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that in 1998 more than

210,000 refugees fled Sierra Leone to Guinea, bringing

the total number of Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea

to 350,000, in addition to some 90,000 Sierra Leonean

refugees who sought safe haven in Liberia;

Whereas the refugee camps in Guinea and Liberia are at risk

of being used as safe havens for rebels and staging areas

for attacks into Sierra Leone;

Whereas the humanitarian crisis in Sierra Leone has reached

epic proportions with people dying from lack of food and

medicine; and

Whereas the escalating violence in Sierra Leone threatens

stability in West Africa and has the immediate potential

of spreading to neighboring Guinea: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the Senate—

2 (1) urges the President and the Secretary of

3 State to give high priority to aiding in the resolution

4 of the conflict in Sierra Leone and to bringing sta5 bility to West Africa, including active participation

6 and leadership in the Sierra Leone Contact Group;
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•SRES 54 IS

1 (2) condemns—

2 (A) the violent atrocities committed by the

3 Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC)

4 and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)

5 throughout the conflict, and in particular its at6 tacks against civilians and its use of children as

7 combatants; and

8 (B) those external actors, including Libe9 ria, Burkina Faso, and Libya, for contributing

10 to the continuing cycle of violence in Sierra

11 Leone by providing financial, political, and

12 other types of assistance to the AFRC or the

13 RUF, often in direct violation of the United

14 Nations arms embargo;

15 (3) supports continued efforts by the regional

16 peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, to restore peace and

17 security and to defend the democratically elected

18 government of Sierra Leone;

19 (4) recognizes that basic improvements in

20 ECOMOG’s performance with respect to human

21 rights and the management of its own personnel

22 would markedly improve its effectiveness in achiev23 ing its goals and improve the level of international

24 support needed to meet those goals;
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1 (5) supports appropriate United States

2 logistical, medical and political support for

3 ECOMOG and notes the contribution that such sup4 port has made thus far toward achieving the goals

5 of peace and stability in Sierra Leone;

6 (6) calls for an immediate cessation of hos7 tilities and respect for human rights, and urges all

8 members of the armed conflict in Sierra Leone to

9 engage in dialogue to bring about a long-term solu10 tion to such conflict; and

11 (7) expresses support for the people of Sierra

12 Leone in their quest for a democratic, prosperous,

13 and reconciled society.

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