“(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.