Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Requesting that the State of Wisconsin Divest from Sudan.
Body
WHEREAS, the government of Sudan has engaged in a policy of genocide against its own black African population in Darfur through use of its military and through sponsorship of attacks by armed militias known as the Janjaweed; and,
WHEREAS, the Janjaweed and military of the Sudanese government are responsible for razing 90% of Darfur's villages, gang-raping civilians, slaughtering 400,000 victims, displacing 2.5 million more, using forced starvation as a weapon of war, and impeding access of humanitarian aid to the 50% of Darfurians that are now reliant on assistance;
WHEREAS, the Sudanese government and Janjaweed militias have continued their attacks despite the Darfur Peace agreement ; and,
WHEREAS, the targeting of certain ethnic groups has entailed various crimes against humanity, prompting the United Nations to state that the Darfur conflict is the "worst current humanitarian crisis" ; and,
WHEREAS, the Darfur crisis represents the first time the U.S. Congress, State Department, or President have declared a genocide while atrocities are ongoing; and,
WHEREAS, certain international companies operating in Sudan bring significant revenue, cover, and arms to the Sudanese government while providing little benefit to the majority of Sudan's citizens; and,
WHEREAS, Khartoum has funneled the majority of foreign direct investment from these "offending" companies into military expenditures used to perpetuate the genocide while neglecting needed development projects in the Darfur region; and,
WHEREAS, the government of Sudan has a history of remedying egregious behavior in response to economic pressure; and,
WHEREAS, the current Sudan divestment movement now encompasses nearly 100 universities, cities, states, and private pension plans; and,
WHEREAS, the states of Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Maine, California, and Connecticut h...
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