Top U.S. Official Voices Continued Support for Sierra Leone
Rice speaks at Senate African Subcommittee hearing
By Jody L. Hamilton
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- When questioned by Congress about America's commitment
to Sierra Leone, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Susan Rice said on October 11 that the U.S. role in seeking peace in
the West Africa nation has been "hands-on and continuous."
Rice told Senate Africa Subcommittee lawmakers that Clinton
administration efforts "played an important role" in bringing about
the Lome agreement -- now largely defunct because of gross
Revolutionary United Front violations -- "because the killing had to
cease" in the now nine-year-old civil conflict.
The United States, Rice said, also "has played an important role" in
establishing a United Nations peacekeeping force (UNAMSIL) for Sierra
Leone, and she added that "many people within the State Department
have been actively engaged" in peace efforts.
In her prepared remarks, Rice said that strengthening the U.N.
peacekeeping mission mandate while also increasing its (UNAMSIL's)
numbers is critical if peace is to be achieved in Sierra Leone.
"An increase in the number of (UNAMSIL) troops without any
strengthening of its mandate will not produce results," she said.
"Thus, we will continue to work for a new UNAMSIL resolution that
provides a mandate to support the Sierra Leone army in compelling RUF
compliance with its obligation to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate
into society. UNAMSIL's U.S.-trained and -equipped West African
battalions, once deployed, will form a key component of the enhanced
UNAMSIL, and we expect will play an assertive role in countering the
RUF. The United States is committed to the success of this mission.
Furthermore, since Britain's direct military role in Sierra Leone and
its training of the Sierra Leone Army are critical to stabilizing the
situation in that country, support for British training efforts is
also a high priority."
The peace agreement signed between the Sierra Leone government and the
RUF in Lome, Togo, in 1999 began to unravel last May when RUF forces
seized some 500 U.N. peacekeepers.
Rice said that American involvement in the Lome agreement came "at the
request of the government of Togo; the U.S., alongside representatives
of the Commonwealth, the OAU [Organization of African Unity], Ghana,
[and] Nigeria, was part of a facilitating committee ... called upon by
Togo to provide recommendations to be used in the negotiations."
She added that "the Africa Bureau has [also] led the effort by the
U.S. government to impose ... sanctions" against Liberia for engaging
in illicit "diamonds-for-guns" trade, which the RUF has used to fuel
the fighting in Sierra Leone.
Earlier on October 11, Rice said, President Clinton signed a
proclamation suspending entry into the United States either "as
immigrants or non-immigrants" of all persons who support the RUF, or
who "impede the peace process" in Sierra Leone. In a separate
statement, Clinton said that these restrictions will apply immediately
to Liberia's president, Charles Taylor, and to senior members of the
Liberian government, their family members, and supporters.
Liberia, Rice said, also has been singled out by the European Union as
a prime supporter of RUF rebels.
Rice said that the U.S. government has seen no halt to the Liberian
government's support to RUF since it cooperated briefly with the
United Nations last summer to obtain the release of the peacekeeper
hostages. That was a "particularly sensitive time," Rice said, when
"we were trying to minimize the risk" to the peacekeepers. State
Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs Thomas Pickering also
went to the region in July to deliver "very publicly and very
forcefully a warning to Charles Taylor" not to support the RUF --
though his warning was largely ignored as well.
Rice said the administration's new travel restrictions "are
particularly significant given the history of the relationship between
the U.S. and Liberia, and the opportunities given to Liberian
leadership to travel, live, and work in the United States. We have
tried to target these restrictions so that they do not affect the
ordinary citizens of Liberia" who do not support RUF.
For peace and civil law and order to prevail in Sierra Leone, Rice
said, the RUF must disarm, relinquish control over large areas of
Sierra Leone where it has exercised a "reign of terror" over
non-combatants, and allow the government to end "lawlessness and
terror" in the country.
As Rice noted in her statement: "Only under accountable, responsible,
democratic governance can these human rights abuses be curtailed and
minimal living standards reintroduced. Only when the rule of law is
extended to all of Sierra Leone's territory and those most responsible
for the horrendous atrocities are held accountable before a court of
law will the population experience the freedom and the confidence
necessary to rebuild their war-ravaged country."
Asked if the Lome agreement remains a viable solution to the conflict
because of the non-compliance of the RUF, Rice said "The issue now is
trying to muster the support of the international community to compel
RUF to disarm and demobilize" and peacefully integrate into society.
In place of the Lome agreement, Rice said, a special court would be
appropriate "to try those who have committed atrocities and war
crimes," but she added that there must "be a capacity to take on the
RUF and challenge their support over the long term."
In conclusion, Rice told lawmakers that "a lasting solution to the
crisis in Sierra Leone is going to have to combine military pressure
with ongoing diplomacy ... and a commitment to the restoration of
democratic government of Sierra Leone." But "at the end of the day,"
she said, "whether voluntarily or under pressure, the RUF must
disarm."
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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