Amherst College makes stand against genocide in Dafur

The Daily Collegian - 2/14/06

In an act against the genocide happening in the Darfur region of Sudan, Amherst College's Board of Trustees unanimously voted to divest and abstain from any direct investments with companies who have supported in some way the Sudanese government's mass ethnic cleansing.

The genocide was officially recognized by the United States House of Representatives on June 24, 2004, according to Res Publica, a human rights organization based out of New York.

The fighting is mainly being carried out by the Sudanese-sponsored Janjaweed (or Janjawid) which is backed by the Sudanese air force and the Native farmers of Darfur. These Janjaweed soldiers are a "mounted Arabic militia," explained United Nations-based IRIN News.

The Amherst College Board of Trustees, acting in the best interests of the Natives of Darfur, as well as Amherst College, has officially blacklisted nearly 20 businesses and corporations from gaining their investments. These companies have either "direct business ties to the Sudanese government or companies whose business activities are in direct support of these companies and the activities of the government," according to Amherst Magazine.

Although they are not directly involved with these businesses as of now, Amherst College's Board of Trustees wanted it to be known that they strongly oppose the Sudanese government's actions and will not invest in any company who supports it.

"[A] divestment action should be considered rarely and only in the face of human atrocities that are wholly inconsistent with the moral and ethical values of Amherst College," said the Board after making its decision to abstain from any relations with the companies.

In making this statement, Amherst College hopes "to create a climate in which other colleges and universities will take similar action," said Jide Zeitlin, a chair on the Board. Zeitlin also said that, if enough of the clientele of various investment firms decide to relinquish their holdings in the companies supporting the Sudanese government, then the investing firms will realize that "the Sudanese government isn't worth it, and [the investment firms] will divest their [own] holdings."
Although the Board has decided not to invest in some companies operating in Sudan, it has not stopped investing with all companies in the region. Businesses that do not sponsor the Sudanese government's genocide, and instead help the Sudanese people or remain neutral in the entire matter, the board decided, should not be part of their divestment and should remain open to possible trades and future investments.

The President of Amherst College, Anthony W. Marx, noted that he wants "[other colleges] to examine their own investments in this region." A former denizen of South Africa, Marx has studied political change and believes that financial divestment can be a starting point for an influential change in the government of Sudan.

Learning from the divestment, a number of Amherst's faculty are informing their TIAA-CREF-based retirement funds to stop investing their money in the blacklisted and similar companies.

The predominately European- and Asian-based companies listed in Amherst's divestment include Siemens AG and the Ericsson LM Telephone Co., both major telecommunications retailers, as well as Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

For an entire list of the companies included in the divestment, see the Amherst Magazine Web site at www.amherst.edu/magazine/darfur.