Ask the Candidates About Darfur:

The Darfur issue is slowly resonating throughout Iowa City amid local efforts to educate citizens on actively engaging presidential candidates to make Darfur a priority in their foreign-policy agendas.

Ibrahim Elbadawi, a Sudanese national and lead economist from the World Bank, gave a lecture on Darfur Thursday night, reinforcing the idea that the genesis of real change is knowledge.

"Candidates can take a more considerate approach to learning about Sudan," he said. "National pressure is an important catalyst for change if candidates really believe and act on it."

Since the conflict erupted in 2003, more than 2 million people have been living in camps and are in need of peacekeepers, he said.

Elbadawi's speech comes just days before a training session that will take place in Des Moines this weekend hosted by ENOUGH, the Genocide Intervention Network, STAND, and the Save Darfur Coalition. It will focus on educating citizens on the situation in Darfur, as well as providing media training on effectively challenging candidates to outline specific policy proposals at the Iowa caucuses.

Iowa is the first state to hold a contest in the presidential-nomination process, garnering much of the media's attention, which could allow Iowans to push the Darfur issue to the forefront of political discussion.

"We hope to instill the confidence and knowledge in Iowans to be ready and equipped to challenge the candidates to take a prominent stance on Darfur," ENOUGH field manager Lisa Rogoff said. "We need to show the nation that Iowa cares about Darfur."

The media training is very important, Rogoff said, adding that she believes even small-town papers should include Darfur coverage.

"It is time for Darfur to get back on the front page," Rogoff said.

Juliet Reid, a UI sophomore and member of Amnesty International, will attend the training session as well.

Coinciding with their focus on Darfur for the year, the kickoff meeting will include the screening of Facing Sudan, a documentary about the atrocities occurring in Darfur.

Tim Gannon, the state director from the Sudan Divestment Task Force, said he hopes all the efforts made to educate citizens on Darfur will help prevent future genocide.

"We want it to be the last genocide of the 21st century," says Gannon.