非洲难民、移民在也门面临危险

AS IT IS 2015-07-17 African Refugees, Migrants Face Dangers in Yemen 非洲难民、移民在也门面临危险

The United Nations is telling refugees and immigrants from the Horn of Africa that they should not sail across the Red Sea to Yemen. The UN refugee agency says thousands of people are traveling to Yemen even though fighting in the country has made it a very dangerous place.

The United Nations reported this week that at least 1,670 civilians¹ have been killed in Yemen since Saudi Arabia began its bombing campaign at the end of March. It said more than 3,800 others were wounded in that period. 

Aid agencies say the increase in fighting has worsened the humanitarian² situation in Yemen. They now say four out of five Yemenis -- 21 million out of 25 million people -- need assistance.

Yet the UN refugee agency reports that large numbers of Somalis and Ethiopians continue to arrive in Yemen. Ten thousand of the 37,000 who have traveled to Yemen this year have arrived since the end of March.

Johannes van der Klaauw is the UN refugee agency’s representative in Yemen.

“People are either not informed -- particularly the migrants -- or they take the deliberate choice to still come to a country at war because the economic migrants amongst them are on their way to Saudi Arabia and it is the only way to get there. But, there are also still Somalis coming who still flee persecution³ in Somalia and say they are safer in Yemen notwithstanding the war than they would be staying back in Somalia.” 

Johanes Van der Klaauw says many of those who have recently arrived in Yemen may not understand the dangers they face in the country. That is why, he says, the UN and other groups have set up a mass information campaign in Somalia and Ethiopia to urge migrants and refugees not to come to Yemen.

About 240,000 Somali refugees and 10,000 migrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Syria, and Iraq now live in Yemen. Mr. van der Klauuw says 51,600 Yemenis, Somalis, Ethiopians and people from other countries have left Yemen over the past three-and-one-half months. He says most have fled to Djibouti, Somaliland, Puntland and Somalia. Others decided⁴ to go to Oman.

“The Somalis all self-evacuated. They at great risk go to the ports of Mokala, Hodeidah, Moka -- even Aden when it was possible. They organize their own departure. It is difficult for them to organize their trip. There is, of course, money involved.” 

He says those who have fled Yemen are not returning to their home countries. And, he says, the UN refugee agency is not assisting with these returns. But he says his agency and the International Organization for Migration⁵ are seeking to help these people better organize their departure. 

He says disabled people, women with children, and older adults are especially helpless and in need of protection. He says he worries about what awaits them when they arrive in other countries.

Words in This Story

Horn of Africa – n. an area of East Africa that includes Ethiopia and Somalia

migrants – n. people who flee or move from one place to another for economic reasons

deliberate – adj. doing something on purpose, with thought

persecution – n. treating someone badly because of their race or their political or religious beliefs

notwithstanding – v. offering resistance or opposition⁶ to something

self-evacuated – v. leaving on one’s own without help from others

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。