•HRES 62 EH
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 Li-
beria, 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 Refu-
gees (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 ter-
ror 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 op-
erations are impeded by the countrywide war and the re-
sultant destruction of infrastructure;
Whereas the Nigerian-led intervention force, ECOMOG, has
deployed some 15,000 troops in Sierra Leone in an at-
tempt to end the cycle of violence and ensure the mainte-
nance of its democratically elected government at the re-
quest of the legitimate Government of Sierra Leone and
with the support of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS);
•HRES 62 EH
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 spill-
ing over into Guinea and Liberia;
Whereas the ECOWAS Group of Seven recently met in Guin-
ea 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 docu-
mented human rights abuses by the RUF, the Kamajor
civil defense group, and summary executions by
ECOMOG: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) welcomes the cessation of hostilities and
calls for the respect of human rights by all combat-
ants;
(2) applauds the effective diplomacy of the De-
partment of State and the Reverend Jesse Jackson,
United States Special Presidential Envoy for the
promotion of democracy in Africa, particularly the
successful efforts in helping to formulate a cease-fire
arrangement;
(3) supports the efforts of all parties to bring
lasting peace and national reconciliation in Sierra
Leone;
(4) calls on all parties, including government of-
ficials and the RUF, to commit to a cease-fire;
•HRES 62 EH
(5) appeals to all parties to the conflict to en-
gage in dialogue without any preconditions to bring
about a long-term solution to this civil strife in Si-
erra Leone;
(6) supports the people of Sierra Leone in their
quest for a democratic and stable country and a rec-
onciled society;
(7) urges the President, the Secretary of State,
and the Assistant Secretary of State for African Af-
fairs to support the democratically elected govern-
ment of Sierra Leone and continue to give high pri-
ority to helping resolve the devastating conflict in
that country, which would be an important contribu-
tion to stability in the West Africa region;
(8) abhors the gross violations of human rights
ongoing in Sierra Leone, including the dismember-
ment of citizens (including children) by the Armed
Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Revo-
lutionary United Front (RUF) and demands that
they immediately stop such heinous acts;
(9) condemns the West African countries and
those outside the region that are aiding the AFRC/
RUF and demands they immediately withdraw their
combatants and cease providing military, financial,
•HRES 62 EH
political, and other types of assistance to the rebels
in Sierra Leone;
(10) applauds the Economic Community of
West African States Military Observation Group
(ECOMOG) for its support of the legitimate Govern-
ment of Sierra Leone and urges it to diversify its
forces with troops from additional Economic Com-
munity of West African States (ECOWAS) countries
and remain engaged in Sierra Leone until a com-
prehensive settlement of the conflict is achieved;
(11) calls upon the United States to provide in-
creased, appropriate logistical and political support
for ECOMOG;
(12) calls on the United States to appoint an
independent commission to investigate human rights
violations;
(13) calls on the United Nations Security Coun-
cil to fully support, financially and diplomatically,
the activities of the human rights section of the
United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone
(UNOMSIL);
(14) calls upon the United States to provide in-
creased, appropriate logistical and political support
for Ghana and Mali, countries that participate in
ECOMOG; and
•HRES 62 EH
(15) urges the President to appoint a special
envoy for Sierra Leone.
Attest:
Clerk.