CORRECTION APPENDED

About 30 people gathered on the steps of Memorial Church Sunday to protest China’s continued investment in Sudanese oil, before heading to Boston to join a statewide rally and torch lighting ceremony that included such speakers as Massachusetts Congressman John F. Tierny (D).

The gathering at Memorial Church, staged by the Harvard Darfur Action Group (HDAG), included a vigil and silent walk through Harvard Yard.

Since civil war broke out in Darfur in 2003, over 200,000 people have been massacred and 2.5 million made refugees as a result of the genocide.

The conflict involves government forces, local rebel groups, and Arab janjaweed militias, blamed for atrocities against ethnic African villagers.

The silent protest was HDAG’s first major event for the year. The group, which is the Harvard chapter of the national organization Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND), was founded in 2003, the same year the conflict in Darfur erupted. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

“The situation is just as severe as it was three years ago, but the Harvard community and the world have become desensitized to it, which is really sad,” said Firth M. McEachern ’08, Treasurer of HDAG.

The rally was designed to increase international pressure on the Chinese government and encourage it to divest from companies that may play a role in funding the genocide. The 2008 Olympics, which will be held in Beijing in August, has increased scrutiny of the Chinese government’s human rights record.

China invests heavily in Sudanese oil, sending $351.5 million in direct investment there in 2005, according to the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development. Those numbers make the Sudanese government Beijing’s ninth-largest recipient of investments.

“There is an extraordinary relationship between China and Sudan, and it is largely a product of China’s desire for Sudanese oil,” Trevor J. Bakker ’10, Political Advocacy Chair of HDAG, said. “Diplomatically, China is protecting Sudan.”

During the walk, the protesters held cardboard cut-outs of the five Olympic rings, in addition to signs that read “China, Stop Arming The Janjaweed.”

“It is precisely for the ideal of peace that we are here today,” McEachern said, referring to the 2008 Olympics motto, “One World, One Dream.”

“We urge China to reflect on and adhere to these goals.”

CORRECTION: The Oct. 9 news article "Students Protest Sudan Investment" gave an outdated name for the national advocacy group STAND. It is known as "A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition," not "Students Taking Action Now: Darfur."