ANGELINA JOLIE TO TOUR SIERRA LEONE
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[ May 10th 2005 ]

Academy Award winning actress Angelina Jolie today begins a tour of war-ravaged Sierra Leone to meet post-war survivors and rally support from the international community in a bid to form a special commission whose role will include the reconciliation of the West African nation.

According to Scottish Mail, Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up after a brutal 10-year war ended in 2002, has collected thousands of written statements documenting atrocities and has held public hearings in a bid to offer victims catharsis through recounting their tales.

Jolie, a United Nations ambassador, will meet President Ahmed Tejah Kabbah on Wednesday to outline her recommendations and raise awareness of the flight of millions of refugees. "Sierra Leone is still scarred by the war, but the people have invested a great deal of courage and hope in the truth and reconciliation process," Witness quoted Jolie as saying ahead of her visit.

"It is vital that the government acts on the (Truth and Reconciliation Commission's) recommendations to ensure that history will not repeat itself."