In a Presidential Proclamation dated January 14, 1998, President Clinton has suspended the entry of persons who are members of the military junta in Sierra Leone as well as their family members.
The order comes as a response to the fact that the military regime has failed to permit the return to power of the democratically elected government of the country and the fact that UN Security Council Resolution 1132 calling for the same has been ignored. The UN resolution also calls on all UN member states to prevent junta leaders from entering their respective territories.
The order does leave room for exceptions to be made in situations where the “interests of the United States” would be harmed if a person was barred from entering.
There is no expiration date on the order and the Secretary of State has been granted the discretion to decide when to reverse the proclamation.
The order and the UN resolution were recently enforced when a man attempted to enter the country claiming to be a civil servant. INS officials suspect he is a member of the military junta and are detaining him an INS detention facility in New York City.
The detainee, Philip Sesay, is now seeking political asylum in the US. Sesay is not being permitted to enter because he was named head of protocol shortly after the coup in Sierra Leone took place last summer. Sesay claims he only accepted the post out of fear for his safety. Sesay claims he will be executed if returned home.
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