2006年VOA标准英语-Red Cross Leaves Darfur Region after Attack

By Noel King
Khartoum
09 December 2006

In another blow to emergency aid operations in Sudan's embattled Darfur region, the International Committee of the Red Cross says it has been forced to evacuate¹ staff from the town of Kutum in northern Darfur due to insecurity.  Noel King reports for VOA from Khartoum.

The ICRC says it has withdrawn² staff from the volatile³ town of Kutum in northern Darfur, following a bold early Friday attack by unknown gunmen on the staff residence. 

The ICRC commands a large aid operation in the region, helping⁴ to repair water sources and supporting health clinics.
 
ICRC spokeswoman Jessica Barry told VOA the gunmen have not been identified.
She said Sudanese authorities are investigating the incident.

"Gunmen entered into the compound of our residence in Kutum," she said.  "They stayed around the compound for a long while. They also shot into the house. Luckily, our two delegates who were inside were not hurt and were able to contact colleagues in another house and raise the alarm. But it was a very serious incident."

Barry told VOA that 10 international ICRC staff members and a Spanish Red Cross worker were evacuated⁵ to the north Darfur capital of El Fasher.

She said Sudanese national staff members have remained behind in Kutum to look after ICRC operations. 

But Sudanese aid workers also face substantial threats to their safety.  Thirteen of them have been killed since the Darfur peace agreement was signed in May.
 
Barry says concern is now for the aid workers who have agreed to stay behind.

"We would never want for our national staff to be at risk," she added.  "It was discussed with all of them and we are closely in touch with them. Our national staff are keeping the office open, of course with a very careful eye on security and we hope to be back as soon as possible."

In recent months, aid operations across Darfur have been hindered following attacks by both Darfur rebel groups and government-sponsored militias⁶ known as janjaweed.
 
This week El Fasher came under attack by janjaweed militias, placing the already shaky Darfur peace agreement in jeopardy⁷. 
 
Former rebels charged that the Sudan government is not doing enough to implement⁸ the peace deal.
 
The United Nations was forced to evacuate 134 UN and non-governmental organization personnel from El Fasher due to heightened insecurity.  And the Irish aid organization GOAL announced Friday it will withdraw all international staff from Darfur due to insecurity in the region.
 
Violence has risen in Darfur in recent weeks, as the Sudanese government battles holdout rebels who have refused to sign on to the Darfur peace agreement.
 
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday had harsh words for Sudan, demanding that the government be brought to task for its role in the conflict. 

But Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir told reporters in Khartoum the scale of the conflict has been exaggerated.  He blamed recent violence on rebels.
 
Tens of thousands have died and more than 2 million people have been displaced in Darfur and eastern Chad, since the conflict began nearly four years ago.

1 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

2 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

3 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

6 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

7 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。