援助机构关注象牙海岸难民的安全

 

Aid Agencies Concerned for Safety of Refugees in Ivory Coast

援助机构关注象牙海岸难民的安全

 

A flare-up of fighting in Ivory Coast has alarmed aid agencies, which fear a new wave of refugees into neighboring Liberia. Aid officials also are concerned for the safety of Liberian refugees in Ivory Coast.

 

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Ivory Coast limited its movements in the west of the country, following a flare-up of fighting past week between rebels and militia¹ loyal to the government. It was the first outbreak of fighting in Ivory Coast since November.

 

UNHCR Spokeswoman Fati Kaba says, if the situation deteriorates³ further, she is worried about the security of Liberian refugees in western Ivory Coast, where some blame renewed fighting in the region on Liberian mercenaries.

 

Fati Kaba: The tensions in western Cote d'Ivoire have the potential of adversely⁴ affecting the protection of refugees, because each time there's fighting in Cote d'Ivoire, the local population tends to be hostile to the refugees, because of past involvement of Liberian nationals in the fighting.

 

There are around 17,000 Liberian refugees in Ivory Coast who fled their own civil war, which ended in 2003.

 

In addition to worrying about the safety of the Liberian refugees in Ivory Coast, Ms. Kaba says, the UNHCR also is concerned that renewed fighting in Ivory Coast could send a new wave of refugees into eastern Liberia, which is ill-equipped to cope.

 

Ms. Kaba: Liberia is a country trying to recover from 14 years of a brutal⁵ civil war that left a lot of devastation⁶, and this wouldn't be a good time for Liberia to be receiving a large number of refugees.

 

There are already 5,000 Ivorian refugees in villages on the Liberian border, who fled fighting in Ivory Coast during 2002. Another influx⁷ of refugees poured into Liberia this past November, when government forces bombed rebel positions. Ms. Kabba says many refugees are in remote areas in Liberia that have not been accessible to humanitarian⁸ agencies for a long time.

 

Juliette Gwapu is a refugee in the tiny border village of Luaguatuo. Sitting under a tree surrounded by her six children, she recently spoke² to VOA. She says she is afraid to return to Ivory Coast, where she says she saw several people killed by rebels.

 

Ms. Gwapu told VOA that, as a civilian⁹ she cannot protect herself from rebels with guns. She says she was chased out of her village, and fled to Liberia, leaving all her possessions behind. She says now she has nothing, and food provided by aid agencies is not enough.

 

The U.N. World Food Program says it is running out of food in Liberia, and has prioritized the distribution of rations¹⁰ to refugees and displaced people who are returning home. Although the Liberian conflict ended in 2003, the country was left in economic ruin.

 

Gabi Menezes, for VOA News, Abidjan.

 

注释：

Ivory Coast [5aivEri5kEust] n. 象牙海岸

aid agency 援助机构

UNHCR( United Nations High Commissioner¹¹ for Refugees)联合国难民事务高级专员（办事处

be hostile to 对......有敌意

rebel [5rebEl] n. 造反者

civilian [si5viljEn] n. 平民,

possession [pE5zeFEn] n. 财产

the U.N. World Food Program 联合国世界粮食计划署

ruin [ruin] n. 崩溃

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 deteriorates   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• After a few years' planting, the quality of the potato crop deteriorates. 土豆种了几年之后就会退化。
• Virus activity deteriorates in plasma stored at room temperature. 在室温下储藏的血浆中病毒活动逐渐衰退。

4 adversely   

ad.有害地

参考例句：

• We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
• Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。

5 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

6 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

8 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。

9 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

10 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

11 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。