Thomas Hull III told the lawmakers that he first went to Sierra Leone as a Peace Corps volunteer nearly 36 years ago and has since held seven foreign service assignments in Africa and served as director of African affairs at the former US Information Agency
Democracy amid Fragile Peace
IN the aftermath of Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war, ‘considerable progress’ has been made toward consolidating peace with the help of the international community, but that ‘peace is fragile,’ warned Mr Thomas Hull III, the US ambassador-designate to that country.In testimony before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 28, Mr Hull listed the difficulties Sierra Leone faced and how the United States was helping and would continue to help the country find it’s political and economic feet.
Politically, he asserted, “Democracy was taking root in Sierra Leone,” with local elections to be held in May, adding that “the United States would provide training to district and town councils as newly elected officials take up their responsibilities.”
But, Mr Hull told the lawmakers, the greatest threat to democracy in the country is corruption, and pledged, “If confirmed, he would not only nurture democracy but would firmly urge leaders to actively support Sierra Leone’s anti-corruption commission.”
Citing 2003 statistics from the United Nations, Mr Hull told the committee that Sierra Leone ranks as the world’s least developed country. “To boost the economy and provide for basic human needs,” Mr Hull pledged to focus on the US Agency for International Development (USAID) assistance on agricultural development to increase employment and to produce food and cash crops.
Mr Hull also pledged to “direct US assistance to support the (Sierra Leone) government’s efforts to exploit its diamond resources in a more transparent fashion and in accordance with the Kimberley Process and in a manner that will generate revenue in diamond-producing areas to stimulate economic growth.”
Additionally, Mr Hull pledged to “foster private sector development through micro-enterprise programs and trade incentives such as AGOA (the African Growth and Opportunity Act) and to advocate for US business interests.”
Mr Hull, a career diplomat and Africa specialist, added, “HIV/AIDS posed a tragic threat to Sierra Leone’s future. The United States had financed an innovative AIDS awareness program in the Sierra Leone armed forces.”
He told the lawmakers that he first went to Sierra Leone as a Peace Corps volunteer nearly 36 years ago and has since held seven foreign service assignments in Africa and served as director of African affairs at the former US Information Agency. —Washington File
