Starting in February 2003 an Arab militia called the “Janjaweed,” supported by the Sudanese government, started a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the native Black civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region. Thus far, more than 400,000 people have died, 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes, and 3.5 million people are dependent on food aid as a result. The United States has declared this crisis a “genocide” for years and United Nations officials have announced it as the "worst humanitarian crisis in the world today." The massive use of rape as a weapon of war and the cruelty shown has also been noticed and documented.

This petition calls for the targeted divestment of the University of Texas Investment Management Company’s (UTIMCO) investments in “worst offending” companies in Sudan. Therefore, it does not ask for the withdrawal of investments in all companies in Sudan but only those which are helping to fund the genocide through their strong relationships with the Sudanese government. Although only a few companies are targeted, the investments amount to millions of dollars. Alternative investments are readily available and thus minimal cost would be accrued by divesting from Sudan and reinvesting in other companies and financial returns from investments should not change significantly.

Divestment is a serious step to take, but the declaration of genocide in Darfur and the crimes against humanity that have occurred warrant such action. Just as divestment from companies in South Africa during apartheid was necessary, today more than a decade later, the systematic killing of hundreds of thousands and crimes against millions because of their ethnic identity in Darfur also makes such action necessary. These investments make the university’s members partly responsible for the crimes occurring and we are not willing to hold the burden of supplying the Sudanese government and Janjaweed with weapons to harm the people in this region.

This petition asks for the same action to be taken as stated in HB 667 and SB 247, the bills of divestment that were filed in the Texas legislature in January 2007, addressing state pension funds’ targeted divestment from companies doing business in Sudan.

To see this legislation visit http://www.legis.state.tx.us/billlookup/Text.aspx?
LegSess=80R&Bill=SB247