Montgomery County Sudan Divestment

Ben SimonAlex Demarais

Darfur Background

• Africa Sudan

Darfur• Jan 2003: Second Civil War ends

• Feb 2003: Darfur conflict begins

The Casualties

• The 2007 UN estimate is 400,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced from their homes

• Rapes during firewood collection

The “Bad Guys”

-Sudanese Military Helicopters

-Janjaweed Militias

Sudanese Military Helicopters

Janjaweed: Armed militias on horsebacks.

• Mainly Arab and Muslim• They have been at odds with Darfur's

population in the past.• Funded by Sudanese government, in an

effort to take advantage of the tension between the two ethnicities.

Deadly Combination

A History of Inaction

• February 2008 marks the 5th year anniversary of the genocide in Darfur

• Represents the first “ongoing” genocide

• Marks the first time when the UN Security Council has resolved to have something done and it hasn’t been done

How Could Such Crimes Against Humanity Last This Long?

• United State’s foreign policy is dominated by Iraq. The two conflicts directly overlap.

• The UN has been all around soft on the Sudanese government.– UN gets its legitimacy from established countries

like the US, UK and China, but China doesn’t believe in human rights intervention and they’ve been thwarting efforts.

– Still, if the Bush Administration and Congress wanted to, they could push their weight around and get the UN to intervene. But…

The “Who’s Darfur” Syndrome• There is little to no media coverage of

Darfur. The Center for American Progress found that during June 2005, CNN, FOX News, NBC/MSNBC, ABC, and CBS ran 50 times as many stories about Michael Jackson and 12 times as many stories about Tom Cruise as they did about the genocide in Darfur.

• How can people take action if they are oblivious to the conflict?

• News serves as a constant reminder, but Darfur has not had sufficient coverage.

Indifference In America

• Once knowledgeable about the situation, most people don’t feel it’s their or even our (America’s) duty to intervene.

• Many automatically assume that an “invasion” is what advocacy organizations are supporting.– They fear another Iraq.

A Few Pictures…

Avenues of Advocacy

• No major Darfur advocacy organization supports an invasion.

• Instead…– Divestment– UN/AU Peacekeeping Troops– Freezing Assets– Comprehensive regional treaty and

indictments on all perpetrators (Ultimate Goal)