How can divestment from Sudan help the people of Darfur?
In the case of Darfur, there are roughly two dozen companies that are considered to be “highest offenders.” These are mostly companies that work directly with the government of Sudan to support oil exploration in the country. As much as 70 percent of the oil revenue is used by the government to fund the military, fueling the genocide in Darfur, which has already taken approximately 400,000 lives. Divestment creates pressure for these companies to stop direct or indirect funding of the genocide, either by pulling out of Sudan or pressuring the Government of Sudan to change its policies. The divestment campaign also raises awareness of the genocide in Darfur and has the potential to increase political pressure for other strategies to help address the crisis, such as legislation, sanctions and diplomacy.
