Jolie meets S Leone president
2005-05-12 08:52
Freetown - Hollywood star Angelina Jolie met Sierra Leone's president, saying she was overwhelmed by the "strength and spirit" of a nation struggling to recover from a decade of brutal conflict.
The Oscar-winning actress and goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) arrived in the West African country on a goodwill visit on Monday.
"I have learned a lot from Sierra Leoneans and I will bring international focus here and continue to come back to let Sierra Leone not drop off the international agenda," the 29-year-old actress told reporters on Wednesday.
Sierra Leone's rebels were notorious for their brutality, hacking off limbs, lips and ears of civilians and carving their initials into victims' chests.
They burned down parts of the capital during a decade-long war that left tens of thousands dead before outside military intervention crushed the rebellion and brought an end to fighting in early 2002.
"The strength and spirit of the people of Sierra Leone have overwhelmed me," Jolie said. "I do not know how I could go through 11 years of war with such spirit and strength and continue to fight for family and human rights in the way that the people of Sierra Leone did."
Jolie was in the country to meet survivors of the conflict urge authorities to make public the recommendations of a special commission set up to reconcile the nation.
Jolie has been a UNHCR goodwill ambassador since 2001 and has travelled to refugee camps around the world. She won a supporting-actress Oscar for 1999's "Girl, Interrupted."
- AP