[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4541 Introduced in House (IH)]
103d CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4541
To authorize assistance to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts
in Africa.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 8, 1994
Mr. Johnston of Florida (for himself and Mr. Payne of New Jersey)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize assistance to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts
in Africa.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``African Conflict Resolution Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND STATEMENT OF POLICY.
(a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) It is in the national interest of the United States to
help build African capability in conflict resolution. A
relatively small investment of assistance in promoting African
conflict resolution--
(A) would reduce the enormous human suffering which
is caused by wars in Africa;
(B) would help the United States avoid huge future
expenditures necessitated by Somalia-like humanitarian
disasters; and
(C) would reduce the need for United Nations
intervention as African institutions develop the
ability to resolve African conflicts.
(2) Africa, to a greater extent than any other continent,
is afflicted by war. Africa has been marred by more than 20
major civil wars since 1960. Rwanda, Somalia, Angola, Sudan,
Liberia, and Burundi are among those countries that have
recently suffered serious armed conflict.
(3) In the last decade alone, between 2,000,000 and
4,000,000 Africans have died because of war. There were
5,200,000 refugees and 13,100,000 displaced people in Africa in
1993. In Angola, relief organizations estimated that 1,000
people were dying each day at the end of 1993. In Rwanda, more
than 200,000 people died in less than 5 weeks of fighting
during 1994, while 300,000 people fled to other countries to
escape war.
(4) Millions more Africans are currently at risk of war-
related death. Looming or ongoing conflicts in Zaire, Angola,
Sudan, Rwanda, and other countries threaten Africa's future.
(5) War has caused untold economic and social damage to the
countries of Africa. Food production is impossible in conflict
areas, and famine often results. Widespread conflict has
condemned many of Africa's children to lives of misery and, in
certain cases, has threatened the existence of traditional
African cultures.
(6) Conflict and instability in Africa, particularly in
large, potentially rich countries such as Angola, Sudan, and
Zaire, deprive the global economy of resources and
opportunities for trade and investment. Peace in these
countries could make a significant contribution to global
economic growth, while creating new opportunities for United
States businesses.
(7) Many African armies are far too large, threatening
political and economic stability while diverting scarce
resources from development needs. Military expenditures in
Africa average over twice the level in Latin America.
Demobilization and other measures to reduce military
expenditures are thus a critical need for many African
countries.
(8) Conflict prevention, mediation, and demobilization are
prerequisites to the success of development assistance
programs. Nutrition and education programs, for example, cannot
succeed in a nation at war. Billions of dollars of development
assistance have been virtually wasted in war-ravaged countries
such as Liberia, Somalia, and Sudan.
(9) Africans have a long tradition of informal mediation.
This tradition should be built upon to create effective
institutions through which Africans can resolve African
conflicts.
(10) The Organization of African Unity, under the
leadership of Secretary General Salim Salim, has established a
conflict resolution mechanism and has been active in mediation
and conflict resolution in several African countries. Various
subregional organizations have also become active in conflict
resolution efforts. These are encouraging developments.
(b) United States Policy.--The Congress declares, therefore, that a
key goal for United States foreign policy should be to help
institutionalize conflict resolution capability in Africa.
SEC. 3. IMPROVING THE CONFLICT RESOLUTION CAPABILITIES OF THE
ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY.
(a) Authorization of Assistance.--The President is authorized to
provide assistance to strengthen the conflict resolution capability of
the Organization of African Unity, as follows:
(1) Funds may be provided to the Organization of African
Unity for use in supporting its conflict resolution capability.
(2) Funds may be used for expenses of sending individuals
with expertise in conflict resolution to work with the
Organization of African Unity.
(b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated
for sub-Saharan Africa, not less than $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal
years 1995 through 1998 should be used to carry out subsection (a).
SEC. 4. IMPROVING CONFLICT RESOLUTION CAPABILITIES OF MULTILATERAL
SUBREGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA.
(a) Authorization of Assistance.--The President is authorized to
provide assistance to strengthen the conflict resolution capabilities
of subregional organizations established by countries in sub-Saharan
Africa, as follows:
(1) Funds may be provided to such an organization for use
in supporting its conflict resolution capability.
(2) Funds may be used for the expenses of sending
individuals with expertise in conflict resolution to work with
such an organization.
(b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated
for sub-Saharan Africa, up to $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal years
1995 through 1998 may be used to carry out subsection (a).
SEC. 5. AFRICAN DEMOBILIZATION AND RETRAINING PROGRAM.
(a) Authorization of Assistance.--In order to facilitate reductions
in the size of the armed forces of countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the
President is authorized to provide assistance for--
(1) encampment and related activities associated with
demobilization of such forces, and
(2) the retraining for civilian occupations of military
personnel who have been demobilized.
(b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated
for sub-Saharan Africa, $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995
and 1996 should be used for the assistance described in subsection (a),
if conditions permit.
SEC. 6. TRAINING FOR AFRICANS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACEKEEPING.
(a) Authorization of Assistance..--The President is authorized to
establish a program to provide education and training in conflict
resolution and peacekeeping for civilian and military personnel of
countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
(b) Funding.--Foreign assistance funds made available for military
education and training activities may be used to carry out the program
provided for in subsection (a).
SEC. 7. BUILDING MEDIATION CAPABILITY IN AFRICA.
(a) Authorization of Assistance.--The President is authorized to
provide assistance to nongovernmental organizations that are engaged in
mediation and reconciliation efforts in Africa.
(b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated
for sub-Saharan Africa, $500,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995 and
1996 should be used to carry out subsection (a).
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