I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3879
To support the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone in its peace-
building efforts, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 9, 2000
Mr. GEJDENSON (for himself, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. TOWNS, Mr.
HALL
of Ohio, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. SNYDER, Ms. LEE, Ms.
MILLENDER-MCDONALD, and Mr. WEXLER) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in
addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To support the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone
in its peace-building efforts, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sierra Leone Peace
Support Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF 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 major-
ity.
(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 leader-
ship 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, in-
cluding 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 ref-
ugee camps and among displaced persons camps are
deplorable, food and medicine is dangerously inad-
equate, 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 re-
integration (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 combat-
ants, including many child soldiers, in Sierra Leone
who must be demobilized, provided with alternate
employment, and reintegrated into their commu-
nities.
(12) Both the Government of Sierra Leone and
the RUF/AFRC formally agreed in the Lome Con-
vention 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 associa-
tion, 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 CONGRESS.—The Congress urges the
President to vigorously promote efforts to end further deg-
radation of conditions in the Republic of Sierra Leone
from further degradation, 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 RE-
INTEGRATION ASSISTANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the President $10,000,000 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 appro-
priated pursuant to subsection (a)—
(1) are in addition any other amounts available
for the purpose described in such subsection; and
(2) are authorized to remain available until ex-
pended.
SEC. 4. DEMOCRATIZATION, ELECTORAL, AND JUDICIAL AS-
SISTANCE.
(a) DEMOCRATIZATION
AND ELECTORAL ASSIST-
ANCE.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be
appropriated to the President $3,000,000 for fiscal
year 2001 for assistance—
(A) to train political parties in the Repub-
lic of Sierra Leone in democratic processes; and
(B) to assist with the preparation for
democratic elections in Sierra Leone.
(2) LIMITATION.—Assistance under paragraph
(1)(A) may only be provided to political parties
whose leaders and members cooperate with the
United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone
(UNAMSIL) and the Truth and Reconciliation Com-
mission described in section 5(b).
(b) 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 ca-
pacity 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.
(c) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—Amounts appro-
priated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations
under each of subsections (a) and (b)—
(1) are in addition any other amounts available
for the purposes described in each such subsection,
respectively; and
(2) are authorized to remain available until ex-
pended.
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 infor-
mation on human rights abuses by all parties to the con-
flict in the Republic of Sierra Leone be undertaken. Com-
prehensive and detailed information, particularly the iden-
tification 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 estab-
lished, and to support any future initiatives of inter-
national accountability for Sierra Leone.
(b) ASSISTANCE FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
COMMISSION.—
(1) ASSISTANCE
FOR
ESTABLISHMENT
AND
SUPPORT
OF
COMMISSION.—The President is au-
thorized to provide assistance for the establishment
and support of a Truth and Reconciliation Commis-
sion 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 Com-
mission in carrying out its functions.
(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—
(A) ESTABLISHMENT
AND
SUPPORT
OF
COMMISSION.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated 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 ap-
propriated pursuant to the authorization of ap-
propriations 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 
appro-
priated pursuant to the authorization of appro-
priations under subparagraphs (A) and (B) are
authorized to remain available until expended.
SEC. 6. LIBERIA AND BURKINA FASO.
(a) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—
forces organized against the elected government
of Sierra Leone.
(2) United States assistance may be provided to
the Central Government of neighboring countries
only if such Government cooperates with efforts to
monitor arms flows to Sierra Leone.
(3) UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE.—In this sub-
section, 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 instrumen-
tality of the United States Government.
SEC. 7. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) mechanisms should be in place to provide
for an increase in assistance to the United Nations
peacekeeping force to enable that force to protect ci-
vilians from atrocities in the event of a breakdown
in the peace agreement and a return to fighting; and
(2) if the governments of countries neighboring
the Republic of Sierra Leone are determined to be
aiding insurgents in Sierra Leone and armed conflict
resumes, the United States should impose sanctions
against RUF/AFRC supporters in the region by de-
nying visas to the President and other high govern-
ment officials in Liberia and Burkina Faso, freezing
their assets in the United States, and consideration
of an embargo of diamonds coming from areas not
under the control of the Government of Sierra
Leone.
SEC. 8. DESIGNATION FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEM-
PORARY PROTECTED STATUS TO SIERRA
LEONEANS.
(a) DESIGNATION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of section 244
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1254a), the Republic of Sierra Leone shall each be
treated as if it had been designated under subsection
(b) of such section, subject to the provisions of this
section.
(2) PERIOD OF DESIGNATION.—Such designa-
tion shall take effect on the date of the enactment
of this Act and shall remain in effect until such time
as the President certifies to the Congress that condi-
tions are sufficiently improved to allow aliens to re-
turn to Sierra Leone, or such time as the designa-
tion with respect to Sierra Leone expires and is not
extended, whichever occurs later.
(b) ALIENS ELIGIBLE.—In applying section 244 of
the Immigration and Nationality Act pursuant to the des-
ignation under this Act, subject to section 244(c)(3) of
such Act, an alien who is a national of the Republic of
Sierra Leone meets the requirement of section 244(c)(1)
of such Act only if—
(1) the alien has been continuously physically
present in the United States since January 1, 1998;
(2) the alien is admissible as an immigrant, ex-
cept 
as 
otherwise 
provided 
under 
section
244(c)(2)(A) of such Act, and is not ineligible for
temporary 
protected 
status 
under 
section
244(c)(2)(B) of such Act; and
(3) the alien registers for temporary protected
status in a manner which the Attorney General shall
establish.
(c) CONSENT TO TRAVEL ABROAD.—The Attorney
General shall give the prior consent to travel abroad de-
scribed in section 244(f)(3) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act to an alien who is granted temporary pro-
tected status pursuant to the designation under this Act,
if the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the Attorney
General that emergency and extenuating circumstances
beyond the control of the alien require the alien to depart
for a brief, temporary trip abroad. An alien returning to
the United States in accordance with such an authoriza-
tion shall be treated the same as any other returning alien
provided temporary protected status under section 244 of
such Act.
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