Mr. President. we should not permit this tragedy to go unnoticed and we should not permit the war crimes being committed there to be committed with impunity. I learned about the Sierra Leone crisis from concerned individuals and in my capacity as Chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee. which has oversight of refugee matters. I have spoken to Secretary of State Albright about the Sierra Leone crisis. both because of the situation of current refugees and more broadly because I believe we may have a unique opportunity to help stop the war in Sierra Leone so that more lives are not wasted or shattered and more innocent people not turned into refugees. Over 500.000 Sierra Leonean refugees currently reside. often in conditions of incredible poverty and deprivation. outside of their country. This number includes something like 350.000 in Guinea and 182.000 in Liberia. The majority of these people have fled Sierra Leone over the past year. with over 250.000 fleeing in the past six months.
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refugees refugee Immigration