Written By: Kakuna Kerina, Matthew Leone & David Tam-Baryoh

• Recommendation 1: Future Aid Must be Conditional on Press Freedom; Local Journalists Must be Trained and Supported
  The independent media will play a vital role in future conflict prevention and resolution, but it will be impossible to carry out this difficult task as long as the government continues its anti-press policies, the latest of which is the Independent Media Commission Bill currently before Parliament. This Bill, if passed, will increase the government's powers to control the independent media and provide a destructive tool against constitutional governance and the free expression of all citizens should future repressive governments assume office.

  The International League for Human Rights recommends that President Kabbah and Minister of Information Dr. Julius Spencer retract their support for the Independent Commission Bill and repeal all restrictive press legislation, such as the Public Order Act of 1965. To ensure that official anti-press policies are not continued, were strongly recommend that aid to Sierra Leone is provided on the condition that press freedom is respected. This is a necessary condition because the Kabbah government has not to date responded to local and international campaigns or diplomatic efforts requesting respect for press freedom.

  The League also recommends direct funding of media outlets, for the support and training of local journalists and to increase their technical capacity, which was destroyed in January 1999. Independent radio must be a priority in any media support as it is the most effective means to inform the majority of citizens who to date have been denied information about the war and the peace process.

• Recommendation 2: Full Support of a Multinational UN Force that Will Protect Civilians and Ensure that Hostages are Released and Disarmament Begins Immediately
  Thousands of civilians, including children, remain in RUF custody and must be released immediately. And as long as RUF and AFRC factions remain armed, the possibility of the resumption of the war remains and could occur before ECOMOG acquires sufficient strength to prevent a complete collapse of the Lome Peace Accord. The 6,000-strong UN force called for by Secretary General Kofi Annan must immediately be mandated and implemented to ensure specific protections for civilians, a responsibility ECOMOG has been unable to meet on its own.

  The US should vigorously support this UN force within the Security Council, and stress international obligations to prevent gross human rights violations, as the Secretary of State and President Clinton cited in the aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. ECOMOG has already endured a significant human loss and financial burden in Sierra Leone, and should receive immediate, full financial support for their participation in current and future peacekeeping efforts.

• Recommendation 3: Distribute Foreign/ International Aid Directly to Local NGOs
  Corruption among government officials has reached alarming levels and would seriously impede the distribution of aid to intended beneficiaries in rebuilding and rehabilitation programs.

  The League recommends that all donors identify local nongovernmental organizations that are actively engaged in work to address the humanitarian needs of the citizenry and reconciliation efforts. These NGOs have already accomplished exemplary work in Sierra Leone, and such efforts need immediate support to be sustained and if peace and reconciliation is to be achieved. Local NGO workers have gained the trust of rural communities, as well as rebel fighters, and, in our opinion, are in the best position to work with citizens in a manner that will prove to be the most effective and the most economical.

  The League offers its assistance in recommending local NGOs that are performing invaluable work in Sierra Leone.

• Recommendation 4: Support an International Commission of Inquiry to Investigate War Crimes and Human Rights Violations
  Many Sierra Leone citizens regard the Lome Peace Accord as an "international coup" in which the government of Sierra Leone was pressured to accept a sweeping amnesty for human rights violations, not only by the RUF, but by the international community. A Consultative Congress called for by President Kabbah prior to negotiations in Lome concluded that there should be no amnesty for human rights violators as a condition for peace, and President Kabbah had promised the same prior to his departure for Lome.

  The Truth and Reconciliation Commission provided for in the Lome Accords should not be viewed as an alternative to international accountability. The idea for the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (which grants amnesty only if defendants disclose all information on illegal activities) was an organic one, and it emerged and developed from within the African National Congress. This model cannot be successful in Sierra Leone if it imposed on the country's citizens. In many cases from Sierra Leone's war, the "truth" has already been established, and victims are capable of identifying their attackers. In South Africa, as well as many South American countries, a commission attempts to provide a degree of comfort to families whose loved ones were victims of disappearances, and other crimes that were carried out in covert or unclear circumstances.

  In Sierra Leone, where most of the human rights violations were carried out flagrantly and openly, the pressing need is to defend the rights of victims, before the important work of determining what actually happened to them. Appeasing human rights violators only encourages future violations. The greatest danger to peace in Sierra Leone is impunity, which may set the stage for future warfare, coups, authoritarian rule, and continued human rights violations.

  The League recommends the establishment of an International Commission of Inquiry to investigate the human rights violations and atrocities carried out during this war.

• Recommendation 5: Pay Special Attention to the Needs of Children
  There are only two psychiatrists in Sierra Leone to serve the needs of the entire traumatized society, including thousands of child soldiers who have been both victims and aggressors in the war. Counseling for children and their reintegration into society is vital to future stability of the nation.

  The League recommends that the international community provide assistance and financial support to ensure the immediate delivery of trauma counseling throughout the country. Training in psychological counseling, so that the country is not solely dependent on international assistance which may not be available for the lengthy period of time necessary to adequately address the country's trauma needs, should be of the highest priority.

  There are numerous Sierra Leonean medical professionals who were forced into exile in neighboring countries and overseas. The League strongly recommends that these medical professionals are recruited and immediately repatriated for any programs aimed at addressing these urgent counseling and medical concerns.

• Recommendation 6: Provide Vocational Training for Amputee Victims
  For victims of human rights violations who have lost their limbs through amputations, vocational training utilizing the new technologies, such as computer voice recognition, may provide the tools necessary to reintegrate these citizens into society. Such training would allow them to perform a wide array of jobs, while simultaneously helping to rebuild civil society.

  The League recognizes that many previous foreign assistance plans have yielded limited success because of an over-reliance on technological "quick-fixes." However, we believe that in Sierra Leone information and communication technology if utilized in practical and relevant programs, can be a vital component of vocational training that would simultaneously contribute to restoring the functioning of democratic institutions of governance including the judiciary, education system, and medical delivery services.

• Recommendation 7: Restricting the Illicit Diamond and Arms Trade That Funded the War in Sierra Leone, And Other Conflicts in the Region
  The League recommends the immediate implementation of an enforceable policy to curtail the illicit diamond and weapon trade that fuels Sierra Leone instability and armed conflict.
• Recommendation 8: Foreign Policy towards Africa
  In the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, discrepancies between foreign policy towards Africa and policies towards other regions of the world have become increasingly glaring. The international community must cease rationalizing its inactivity in the face of genocide and human rights atrocities by citing differing geopolitical or economic interests. Such rationalizations undermine the legitimacy of international human rights concerns and diminish the ability of the international community to act effectively in the worldwide pursuit of human rights and other foreign policy goals. Not surprisingly, a disparity in funding accompanies this disparity in action. Sierra Leone presents yet another example of how more timely action and response to a crisis could have reduced the soaring costs of a belated response.