Dec 13

Des Moines, Iowa — Late last night, in a bipartisan show of force, the United States Senate unanimously passed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act which would authorize state and local governments to divest from companies that support the Khartoum government and prohibit federal contracts with those companies.

Today, thirty Iowa state legislators — 14 Senators, 16 Representatives — called on the presidential candidates from both parties to divest their personal holdings. They wrote, “Your immediate action to divest your personal holdings will send a strong signal to the government of Sudan and to the rest of the world that this genocide must end and that you are willing to lead on this issue.”

Dawn Pettengill (R-39) the lead sponsor of the Sudan Divestment bill signed by Governor Culver on April 5, 2007 said, “Iowans from both parties are deeply concerned about the ongoing genocide in Sudan. We’ve done what we can in the state legislature to ensure that Americans aren’t indirectly funding genocide. Now it is time for the candidates for President to take the same stand.”

In addition to the state legislators, over 500 Iowans have signed the petition. With 30 days until the caucuses, Iowans are ramping up their engagement with the presidential candidates. Yesterday, a full page ad endorsed by more than 700 Iowans appeared in the Des Moines Register, calling on the candidates to take substantial action on Darfur. Citizens, dressed in bright orange “I Caucus for Darfur” t-shirts and buttons, have traveled around the state, attending hundreds of campaign events and asking candidates specific questions about their Darfur policies. To find their answers and to get involved, please visit www.AskTheCandidates.org.

Since 2003, the crisis in Darfur has claimed as many as 400,000 lives and displaced at least two million people, according to the United Nations. President Bush and the US Congress labeled the situation “genocide” in 2004, finding the government of Sudan culpable in the attacks. The Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act, supported by both of Iowa’s United States Senators, is the most robust piece of Darfur legislation to date.

22 states, including Iowa, and over 50 universities, including the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, have already adopted Sudan divestment policies. The movement has rapidly spread through Europe: in July the European Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling on European Union members to support targeted Sudan divestment efforts. Seven major foreign companies — CHC Helicopter, ABB, Siemens, Rolls Royce, ICSA of India, Schlumberger, and La Mancha Resources — have ceased problematic operations in Sudan or significantly changed their behavior in the country since the proliferation of the Sudan divestment movement.

Iowa state legislators who signed the candidate divestment petition include Representatives Dwayne Alons, McKinley Bailey, Ro Foege, Mary Gaskill, Elesha Gayman, Bruce Hunter, Dave Jacoby, Doris Kelley, Jim Lykam, Pat Murphy, Eric Palmer, Janet Petersen, Dawn Pettengill Kurt Swaim, Beth Wessel-Kroeschell and Linda Upmeyer and Senators Jeff Angelo, Nancy Boettger, Daryl Beall, Dennis Black, Joe Bolkcom, Michael Connolly, Dick Dearden, William Dotzler, Jack Hatch, John Kibbie, Matt McCoy, Dave Mudler, Becky Schmitz and Roger Stewart.

Ask the Candidates is a non-partisan campaign to make Darfur a priority in the 2008 presidential elections. Accessible online at www.AskTheCandidates.org, ATC provides citizens with the tools to foster a serious discussion on Darfur with the 2008 presidential candidates. ATC is a joint initiative of the ENOUGH Project, Genocide Intervention Network, STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition and the Save Darfur Coalition.

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