Utah should stop helping fund genocide

There is a scene in the movie "Hotel Rwanda" that leads the viewer to an internal soul-searching moment. Paul Rusesabagina thanks a man for shooting footage of the Rwandan genocide only to get a chilling reply of "I think if people see this footage, they'll say, 'That's horrible,' and then go on eating their dinners."

That was just a movie about the past to most of us. Troubling? Sure. Irrelevant? Unfortunately it is not. In mid-February, President Bush visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, which notes the deaths of 800,000 Rwandans in 100 days. In Kigali, the president reminded us that Darfur is today's genocide, and it is undoubtedly our problem.

The statistics of this genocide are well-known. More than 2.5 million people have been displaced while 90 percent of Darfur's villages have been burned to the ground. Conservative estimates say that at least 200,000 people have been killed, though credible experts estimate the true number to be twice this.

In 2004 the United States called the conflict in Darfur a genocide, the first time in American history that this declaration was made while atrocities are ongoing. These unconscionable actions have been carried out by the Janjaweed, Arab militias who perpetrate most of the violence in Darfur with the direct material support of the Sudanese government, in the form of small arms, ammunition and air support. Attacks have been ongoing for over four years including recent attacks in Darfur dependent on this support.

Attempts have been made to stop these attacks, including important efforts to sever the financial support that the government of Sudan utilizes to perpetuate the genocide through divestment. Because the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed are dependent on foreign companies for their indirect material support, divestment from facilitating companies can have a monumental impact on the Khartoum government. Sudan would no longer have the means to murder its own citizens without the funds these companies provide.

Twenty-four states have divested funds from certain companies operating in Sudan. These actions created a ripple effect with La Mancha Resources, CHC Helicopter, ABB Siemens, Rolls-Royce, ICSA of India and Schlumberger ceasing operations in Sudan, publicizing a withdrawal plan or significantly changing corporate practices.

Berkshire Hathaway even went so far as to sell its multibillion-dollar investment in Petrochina, a major investor in the Sudanese oil industry.