肯尼亚将关闭世界最大难民营

AS IT IS 2016-05-17 Kenya to Close World’s Largest Refugee Camp 肯尼亚将关闭世界最大难民营

Kenya is planning to close the world’s largest refugee camp, which it says poses a security threat that could lead to terrorist attacks.

An estimated 330,000 refugees will be affected¹ when the Dadaab camp in northeast Kenya is shut down. Most refugees there are from Somalia who escaped conflict in their country.

Kenya’s government announced plans to close the camp “within the shortest time possible.” But the United Nations and international human rights groups have criticized the move.

The U.N. refugee agency urged Kenya this week to reconsider its decision. The agency said in a statement that closing the camp would have “devastating² consequences.” It urged the government to “avoid taking any action that might be at odds³ with its international obligations.”

Kenya’s Interior Minister, Joseph Nkaissery, said at a news conference Wednesday that the camp threatens Kenya’s security. He said the government believes the camp harbors extremists from Somalia’s Islamic al-Shabab group and is used to smuggle⁴ weapons.

Al-Shabab has carried out several major terror attacks in Kenya. In 2013 an attack on a Nairobi mall killed 67 people. A 2015 attack on a college in the town of Garissa left 148 people dead.

Al-Shabab began launching attacks in Kenya after Kenyan troops entered Somalia to fight the militant⁵ group in 2011.

Kenya’s government has admitted that closing the refugee camps will harm refugees. It urged the international community to take steps to minimize the pain and suffering.

Human Rights Watch senior refugee researcher Gerry Simpson says refugees are not the source of security threats in Kenya.

“There’s not a single shred⁶ of evidence that any registered Somali refugees in Kenya have been behind any attacks in Kenya.”

Simpson said that in the cases of both the mall and university attacks, Somali nationals who came directly from Somalia were charged with the terror offenses⁷, not registered refugees.

But Interior Ministry⁸ spokesman Mwenda Njoka disagrees, saying that terrorists have used refugee camps to plan and train for attacks.

"I will tell you for a fact, like, the people who carried out the terror attacks at Westgate, several of them were traced either through phone calls or through various contacts -- intelligence -- to refugee camps in Dadaab.”

Government and security expert Mummoh Nzau agrees that terrorists have infiltrated⁹ the camps, and that the camps do pose a security risk. But he is calling for a careful approach to dealing¹⁰ with the situation. He said one option would be to relocate the camps.

“They can move them [the refugees] right inside Somalia, but in a way that it is safe for them, and but they can be accessed by the international refugee agencies and other aid agencies.”

Kenya and Somalia signed an agreement with the United Nations refugee agency in 2013 to voluntarily repatriate¹¹ Somali refugees. As Somalia has slowly recovered from years of conflict, the Dadaab camp population decreased from more than 500,000 refugees to 350,000.

The United Nations said it planned to repatriate 50,000 more refugees this year. But officials admitted this repatriation¹² would be a difficult task because the Somali government is still fighting an insurgency¹³ from al-Shabab.

Kenya, which has been hosting refugees for nearly 25 years, previously¹⁴ threatened to close the camps, but did not follow through.

The group Human Rights Watch noted¹⁵ that politicians often bring up the refugee issue during election cycles. Elections in Kenya are set for next year.

Words in This Story

devastating – adj. highly destructive or damaging

consequence – n. a result or effect of an action or condition

at odds – in conflict or at variance¹⁶ with something

harbor– v. to shelter or hide a criminal or wanted person

smuggle – v. to move items illegally into or out of a country

minimize – v. reduce something to the smallest possible degree

repatriate – v. to send someone back to their own country

insurgency – n. an active revolt or uprising

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

3 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

4 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 shred   

v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少

参考例句：

• There is not a shred of truth in what he says.他说的全是骗人的鬼话。
• The food processor can shred all kinds of vegetables.这架食品加工机可将各种蔬菜切丝切条。

7 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 infiltrated   

adj.[医]浸润的v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
• Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 repatriate   

v.遣返；返回；n.被遣返回国者

参考例句：

• The government safely repatriates victims.政府安全遣返了受害者。
• In this part,you need to formulate in detail repatriate the plan.在这一部分，你需要制定详细的归国计划。

12 repatriation   

n.遣送回国，归国

参考例句：

• The Volrep programme is the preferred means of repatriation. 政府认为自愿遣返计划的遣返方法较为可取。 来自互联网
• Arrange the cargo claiming and maritime affairs,crews repatriation,medical treatment,traveling so on. （六）洽办货物理赔，船舶海事处理，办理船员遣返，就医，旅游等。 来自互联网

13 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

14 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

15 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

16 variance   

n.矛盾，不同

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance. 妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• It is unnatural for brothers to be at variance. 兄弟之间不睦是不近人情的。