2006年VOA标准英语-UNHCR Warns Fighting Jeopardizes Humanitarian O

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
25 November 2006

U.N. High Commissioner¹ for Refugees Antonio Guterres is warning that humanitarian² aid for hundreds-of-thousands of Sudanese refugees from Darfur and displaced Chadians could be jeopardized³ by a fresh outbreak of fighting in remote eastern Chad. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.

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Ron Redmond (file photo)
U.N. refugee agency spokesman Ron Redmond says staff in the eastern city of Abeche, reported hearing gunfire early Saturday morning. Witnesses in Chad say rebel forces attacked government forces.

The U.N. refugee agency has its local headquarters in Abeche. Its staff of 300 cares for more than 200,000 refugees from Darfur, sheltered in 12 camps.

It also assists many of the 90,000 Chadians who were displaced by unrest over the past year.

Spokesman Redmond says the fighting is putting humanitarian operations at risk.

"High Commissioner Guterres is worried that, if this fighting spreads, or it continues, that that lifeline could be severed⁴, and, if that happens, we are going to have tens-of-thousands of Sudanese refugees, as well as Chadians who have been internally displaced, in dire⁵ need of assistance. So, we are extremely concerned about this fighting," he said.

Redmond says the High Commissioner is appealing to all sides to bear in mind the enormous humanitarian consequences that any continuation of fighting could bring.

 
Chadians of non-Arab origin flee conflict in east, near Goz-Beida, near border with Sudan, 10 Nov.  2006 
He says reports of military movements near the southeastern town of Goz Beida forced the UNHCR and other aid agencies on Friday to abandon plans to distribute humanitarian aid to thousands of displaced Chadians.

Redmond says there is also great concern among refugees from Darfur, who are living in nearby camps.

"In some cases, they are quite frightened, because these are people who have already fled severe violence in Darfur," he said. "The last thing they need is more of that in Chad."

"So far, there has not been any moves against any of the refugee camps, and we hope that will not be the case. But, the refugees understandably are quite nervous about what is happening," he added.

Redmond says High Commissioner Guterres has been warning for months that the violence and conflict in Darfur could spill over into Chad and the Central African Republic.

He says Guterres supports a call for a multi-dimensional force to patrol the Chad-Sudan border.

1 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。

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 jeopardized   

危及，损害( jeopardize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The soldier jeopardized his life to save his comrade. 这个士兵冒生命的危险救他的同志。
• The occasional failed project or neglected opportunity does not jeopardized overall progress. 偶然失败的项目或失误的机会并没有影响总的进展。

4 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。