Will targeted divestment really change the government of Sudans behaviour?
Quite simply, the government of Sudan relies on the income provided by these companies to commit genocide. 40-60% of Sudan’s oil revenue goes on military spending. There is therefore a strong link between the operation of these targeted companies and the capacity of the Sudanese government to commit genocide in the Sudan. Divestment, on a large enough scale, will place substantial economic pressure on these companies to leave the country, taking away this investment that the Sudanese government relies on. Targeted divestment therefore represents a tool that UK citizens have against the Sudanese government. If institutions divest from targeting companies such blacklisted businesses will have an incentive to leave the country or pressure the Sudanese government to end the genocide. In the past, the government of Sudan has demonstrated substantial positive changes in its behaviour due to this kind economic pressure.
