[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2475 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.2475
One Hundred Third Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the twenty-fifth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-
four
An Act
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.
(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) Excessive military expenditures threaten political and
economic stability in Africa while diverting scarce resources from
development needs. Demobilization and other measures to reduce the
size of African armies, and civilian control of the military under
the rule of law are in the interest of international security and
economic development.
(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 effectiveness of U.S. support for conflict resolution
programs requires coordination and collaboration with multilateral
institutions and other bilateral donors.
(11) African institutions are playing an active role in
conflict resolution and mediation utilizing the experience of elder
statesmen. Groups such as the All African Council of Churches have
assisted in defusing conflicts. The Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) has sought to address the conflict in
Liberia by deploying an African peacekeeping force. The Southern
African states have been working to prevent a crisis in Lesotho.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Desertification and Drought
(IGADD) has been engaged in attempting to resolve the conflict in
Sudan.
(12) 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.
(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, including
providing technical assistance.
(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 organizations for use in
supporting their conflict resolution capability, including
providing technical assistance.
(2) Funds may be used for the expenses of sending individuals
with expertise in conflict resolution to work with such
organizations.
(b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated
for sub-Saharan Africa, such sums as may be necessary for each of the
fiscal years 1995 through 1998 may be used to carry out subsection (a).
SEC. 5. IMPROVING CONFLICT RESOLUTION CAPABILITIES OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS.
(a) Authorization of Assistance.--The President is authorized to
provide assistance to nongovernmental organizations that are engaged in
mediation and reconciliation efforts in sub-Saharan Africa.
(b) Funding.--Of the foreign assistance funds that are allocated
for sub-Saharan Africa, such sums as may be necessary for each of the
fiscal years 1995 and 1996 should be used to carry out subsection (a).
SEC. 6. 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--
(1) provide assistance for the encampment and related
activities for the purpose of demobilization of such forces; and
(2) provide assistance for the reintegration of demobilized
military personnel into civilian society through activities such as
retraining for civilian occupations, creation of income-generating
opportunities, their reintegration into agricultural activities,
and the transportation to the home areas of such personnel.
(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.
(c) Civilian Involvement.--The President is also authorized to
promote civilian involvement in the planning and organization of
demobilization and reintegration activities.
SEC. 7. TRAINING FOR AFRICANS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACEKEEPING.
(a) Authorization.--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.--Of the funds made available under chapter 5 of part
II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, such sums as may be necessary
for each of the fiscal years 1995 and 1996 should be used for the
purposes of subsection (a).
SEC. 8. PLAN FOR UNITED STATES SUPPORT FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND
DEMOBILIZATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.
(a) In General.--Pursuant to the provisions of sections 3 through
7, the President should develop an integrated long-term plan, which
incorporates local perspectives, to provide support for the enhancement
of conflict resolution capabilities and demobilization activities in
sub-Saharan Africa.
(b) Contents of Plan.--Such plan should include:
(1) The type, purpose, amount, and duration of assistance that
is planned to be provided to conflict resolution units in sub-
Saharan Africa.
(2) The type and amount of assistance that is planned to be
provided for the demobilization of military personnel of countries
of sub-Saharan Africa, including--
(A) a list of which countries will receive such assistance
and an explanation of why such countries were chosen for such
assistance; and
(B) a list of other countries and international
organizations that are providing assistance for such
demobilization.
(3) The type and amount of assistance that is planned to be
provided to nongovernmental organizations that are engaged in
mediation and reconciliation efforts in sub-Saharan Africa.
(4) A description of proposed training programs for Africans in
conflict resolution and peacekeeping under section 7, including a
list of prospective participants and plans to expand such programs.
(5) The mechanisms to be used to coordinate interagency efforts
to administer the plan.
(6) Efforts to seek the participation of other countries and
international organizations to achieve the objectives of the plan.
(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report containing a description of the plan
developed under this section.
SEC. 9. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
(a) Requirement.--The President shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report describing the efforts and progress
made in carrying out the provisions of this Act.
(b) Date of Submission.--The first report submitted under
subsection (a) shall be submitted no later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, and shall be submitted annually
thereafter.
SEC. 10. CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.
The President shall consult with the appropriate congressional
committees prior to providing assistance under sections 3 through 7.
SEC. 11. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED.
For purposes of this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional
committees'' means the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.