Sudan Divestment: Frequently Asked Questions

1.  What is Targeted Divestment?
Divestment is a strategy of reducing or eliminating investment, and was employed by agencies all over the world to end apartheid in South Africa. While divestment in South Africa was comprehensive- a “blanket” approach, we believe divestment in Sudan should target only the worst offenders to protect innocent Sudanese.

The Darfur Australia Network agrees with the principles of the targeted divestment model created by the Sudan Divestment Task Force. This model is used in campaigns all over the world, and is effective because only companies heavily involved in business with the Sudanese Government are targeted. They might engage directly or indirectly with the Government of Sudan, but they are only targeted for divestment after repeated failed negotiations and repeated refusal to change their behavior. Because our ultimate goal is to protect the Darfuri people, these targeted companies exhibit little to no local social responsibility, therefore there is minimal impact on average Sudanese citizens.

2.  How does Targeted Divestment work?
Through targeted divestment, our energies are focused on the top offending companies, which constitute about a dozen companies mostly involved in exploratory searches for oil. Close to 70 percent of this revenue generated directly funds the Sudanese military, which is responsible for the “scorched earth” genocide campaign that has claimed 400,000 people over the past four years. By persuading organizations and individuals to divest, companies are forced to take a hard look at who they are engaging in business with and in turn will pressure or cease business with the Khartoum Government.

3.  Why will Targeted Divestment work?
By asking for divestment, the Darfur Australia Network is asking for solidarity in stopping indirect or direct funding of genocide. Historically, Sudan has responded to economic pressure. In 1997 President Clinton imposed sanctions that blocked access to the Government of Sudan’s assets in the United States and halted $70 million dollars in trade and investment in Sudan. Today, the affects of the campaign for divestment are already evident. Several large companies have already pulled out of Sudan, most recently Rolls Royce, who sited the pressure of divestment as having a role in their decision.

The Sudanese Government has responded in several ways. They paid $1 million for an advertisement in The New York Times to promote the benefits of investing in Sudan, and had their ambassador to the United States reinforce their opposition to divestment. While this is very encouraging, more must be done to continue to pressure the Sudanese Government.

4.  Won't targeted divestment hurt ordinary Sudanese citizens?
One of the main priorities of the Sudan Divestment Task Force is to keep positive investment in companies that are benefiting the Sudanese community. DAN agrees with this principle and wishes to only target companies with no corporate policy on the Darfur crisis, and those that do not engage in socially beneficial programs for Sudanese citizens. In addition, any company whose primary focus is agriculture, education or medicine is excluded from targeted divestment. Agriculture is Sudan’s most economically viable asset, and employs over 80% of their workforce. These are innocent people and it is the government we want to impact; therefore exclusion of the agricultural industry is imperative.

5.  Where do you find your information on offending companies?
The Darfur Australia Network’s Divestment campaign is in partnership with Aegis Trust, and is based on the research and strategy of The Sudan Divestment Task Force. The Sudan Divestment Task Force extensively researches and updates its list of most notorious offenders based on the guidelines they have in place to target offending companies. The list is updated regularly to ensure that the most accurate information is available to divestment campaigns around the world.

For a complete list of these companies and their role in contributing to the genocide, please contact the Sudan Divestment Task Force. They have extensive details on this and other research and policy issues on their website.