Finally Fidelity...Now Who?

Well, Fidelity finally decided to divest out of dealings with Sudan. I must extend to them my applause as it is a great first step for the major investment company. Hopefully, other major companies will take a page out of Fidelity's book and divest more from companies who have their hands in Darfur. Now that we have gotten Fidelity to divest, who should we focus our attention on now? It has recently come to my attention that the University of Chicago is refusing to divest out of PetroChina, citing "the protection of academic freedom". Aside from pressuring the US government itself, perhaps we should focus on universities. The University of Chicago is an elite university, and what sort of example does that set for the rest of the academic world if they don't divest? Universities hold just as many dealings as big companies do, so let's raise our voices to them. Many students are involved in the Darfur issue and urging their university to take their dealings out of any company that funds the genocidal government of Sudan is certainly something many students would rally behind. So, in conclusion, be a conscience citizen or student and urge your local university to divest.

New York Out of Darfur!

Do you live in New York?

Do you know that New York State's money is tangled up in oil companies that are pouring money into Omar Al-Bashir's pockets, funding a genocide?

TODAY, New York is considering legislation to participate in targeted divestment, which will remove our public funds from indirectly supporting genocide.

Senator Joe Robach and Assemblyman Darryl Towns have written targeted divestment legislation that will take back New York State's dollars from companies that fund the genocide in Darfur.

However, this bill has not been introduced because the New York State Comptroller has not released a "Fiscal Note" which is needed to allow the legislation to go to a vote.

You can help today by calling New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli:

1. Dial (518) 474-4044
2. Say: I care about the genocide in Darfur, and I urge you to release the "Fiscal Note" and allow the legislation to be introduced by Senator Robach and Assemblyman Towns. This action will be vital in helping us stop the genocide

Like Elizabeth said, its time for advocacy beyond activism!
Don't just feel good, DO good!

Mr. Hu Goes to Africa

After the recent African tour of China's president, Hu Jintao, it must be difficult for Omar al-Bashir, his Sudanese counterpart, to contain his glee. Mr. Hu came to Khartoum bearing many gifts, including a free loan to build Mr. Bashir a new palace, and a promise to build two schools. Most delightfully for Sudan's autocratic ruler, however, these gifts come without the good-governance and respect-for-human-rights clauses often insisted upon by Western nations. Indeed, in his only reference to the genocide in Darfur, Mr. Hu declared emphatically that "Any solution needs to respect the sovereignty of Sudan."

China's willingness to support genocidal but resource-rich regimes is extremely worrying. In his whirl-wind eight-nation tour, Mr. Hu dished out gifts and loans, all the while touting their unconditional nature. While this approach avoids the neo-colonial overtones of conditional Western aid, it also bolsters brutal governments and threatens the prospects for good governance in Africa, without which the threat of genocide will remain.

In her post of 5 February, fellow Memory to Action contributor Alexa Woodward makes the case for divestment in order to pressure China to reduce its support for the Sudanese government. Divestment by American universities and companies is undoubtedly an important step towards this goal. Ultimately, however, governments must signal to China that the pitfalls, and consequences, of supporting brutal regimes are greater than the potential rewards. You can help by writing your senator and congressman- click here to find out how.

China and Darfur: Divest!

China has the power to influence the Khartoum government to allow a UN peacekeeping force or an expanded African Union force to protect millions of people in Dafur.


Why China?


China has expansive investments in Sudanese oil, and 80% of Sudan's national profit depends two Chinese companies, Sino Petrol and CNPC. With pressure from the Chinese government, Khartoum may succumb to international pressure to allow peacekeeping forces to operate on behalf of the more than 3 million displaced persons who had fled violence.

So far, China has been the greatest block on the UN security council for the deployment of peacekeepers. We can pressure China by asking our universities to divest from these oil companies (often times stagnant funds are arbitrarily invested through brokers, so many universities do not even know who they are supporting!)

for more info on divestment and to see other cities and states who have divested, visit: www.sudandivestment.org