UN Seeks $1.5 Billion in Aid for Sudan Refugees

 

By Lisa Schein
The United Nations is appealing for $1.5 billion for humanitarian¹ assistance next year in conflict-ravaged Sudan. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports almost half the money will go towards life-saving programs in Darfur, where more than 1.5-million people have been displaced from their homes.
The United Nations, the government of Sudan, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement worked out the program of activities that will be needed to help millions of people next year. It expects these operations to advance the peace process.
The U.N. Secretary-General's Special Representative in Sudan, Jan Pronk, calls 2005 a transition year. It will act as a bridge between war and peace.
He notes a peace agreement will be signed in January ending more than two decades of civil war between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. Mr. Pronk says he hopes the peace between the north and the south will encourage similar moves in Darfur.
"There are a number of political consequences of a peace agreement between the north and the south, which would augur² well for a political solution also in Darfur," he said. "But, you are right. It is also going into the other direction and countries have made clear to all parties that if the war would continue in Darfur, it will be very difficult for them … to make all the resources available, because you cannot make all the resources available in a very insecure, unstable³ situation."
A Representative of the rebels, Luka Deng, says he, too, worries because so much needs to be done to return southern Sudan to a state of normality. He says there are eight million people in the south and another 4.5-million refugees and displaced people are expected to return. He says they will need critical long-term assistance.
"But, it is critical also at this juncture⁴, also the issue of Darfur and southern Sudan not to be seen as exclusive of each other," he said. "We know southern Sudan has suffered a great deal. We know also Darfur is coming into a real situation."
About $600 million of the U.N. appeal will be targeted for life-saving operations in Darfur. U.S. Ambassador Tony Hall has just returned from a visit to camps for displaced people in Darfur. He says he saw a high level of fear, insecurity, and destruction. "We need a lot more pressure put on the government of Sudan and these warring parties We need more resolutions, more eyes, more troops coming from the A.U. [African Union], more NGO's [non-governmental organizations] … People need to know that those who commit crimes against humanity will be punished."
In issuing its appeal, the United Nations told donor⁵ countries that without life-saving support for millions of vulnerable Sudanese the chances of a lasting⁶ peace diminish.
注释：
conflict-ravaged 战争蹂躏的
transition 转变
augur 预兆
juncture 时刻
donor 捐赠者
vulnerable 易受攻击的

1 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。

2 augur   

n.占卦师；v.占卦

参考例句：

• Does this news augur war?这消息预示将有战争吗？
• The signs augur well for tomorrow's weather.种种征候预示明天天气良好。

3 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

4 juncture   

n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头

参考例句：

• The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
• It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。

5 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

6 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。