FOR IMMIDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2006

Katy Flynn
(515) 778.8803

Des Moines to Participate in Nationwide Rally

Des Moines, Iowa—Des Moines for Darfur and the Iowa Chapter of Amnesty International announce a “Global Day for Darfur” rally this Sunday, Sept. 17, at 4 p.m. on the State Capitol West Mall.

Coinciding with a national effort organized by the Washington, D.C.-based Save Darfur Coalition (www.savedarfur.org), the Des Moines event is the only scheduled rally in the Midwest and will be one of 14 other rallies to occur in major cities across the country, drawing individuals together across the globe to call for the immediate deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to Darfur, Sudan.

Since 2003, the Sudanese government-sponsored genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan has killed some 400,000 people and forced 2.5 million people to flee their homes. September 7th marked the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Congressional declaration of genocide in Sudan.

Several speakers will be on hand at Sunday’s event to address the immediacy of the crisis in Sudan, including Stephen Kuol, a Sudanese refugee who now lives in Omaha, and Dr. Eric Markusen, Director of Research for the Danish Centre for Genocide Studies in Copenhagen, Denmark. Journey for Humanity, a group of six activists walking 3,000 miles from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. to spread awareness about the Darfur genocide, will also be in attendance.

“The speakers are so diverse, passionate, and hopeful, the rally promises to be a really dynamic and engaging event,” said Katy Flynn, founder of Des Moines for Darfur. Flynn formed the nonprofit group this past summer to raise awareness and inspire action among Iowans.

“We have a unique opportunity here in Iowa to band our voices together with other like-minded and hopeful people around the world on the same day. We can speak out and say, ‘This is an important issue to us. We cannot and will not stand by and allow this genocide to happen,’” Flynn said.

For more information about Des Moines for Darfur, visit www.desmoinesfordarfur.org. Interviews available upon request.