2006年VOA标准英语-Report from Darfur: Sudan Gives Mixed Signals o

By Simon Marks
Darfur
29 May 2006
 
watch Peacekeepers report

As more than two million refugees from the fighting in Darfur endure triple-digit temperatures under the blazing African sun, the Sudanese government is sending mixed messages about whether it is willing to allow international peacekeepers to take up positions in the strife-torn region. A peace deal that the Sudanese government signed recently envisions a United Nations force replacing the 7,000 African troops now deployed¹ in Darfur. But the Sudanese government official who signed the agreement now insists UN peacekeepers should stay out of the country.

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Gereida refugee camp   
  

The Darfur peace agreement notwithstanding, the refugees just keep coming. In the first four months of this year alone, the size of the refugee camp at Gereida in southern Darfur tripled.  It is now home to more than 100,000 people and there is nothing here for them. No tents, no plastic sheeting and no shelter from temperatures that top 115 degrees by the mid-afternoon.

The latest arrivals tell of fresh violence, some of it perpetrated by the government-backed Janjaweed militia².  But some of it is now the result of infighting between the rebel groups here that are seeking a fairer shake from the government in Khartoum.

The only force protecting innocent civilians³: 7,000 troops deployed here by the African Union. They patrol an area the size of France, and UN official
 

Jan Egeland in Darfur refugee camp (file photo)   
  
Jan Egeland says they are vastly outmanned and outgunned. "These are our hope, these African Union forces. But they are too few. And they have too little ability to move quickly and proactively to crisis areas. They need to be better-resourced and need, I believe, a more proactive mandate⁴."

With the peace agreement signed, the African Union says it wants the United Nations to take over peacekeeping responsibilities in Darfur. And so does the United States - the Bush administration wants an initial force of 14,000 UN peacekeepers to take up positions in Darfur. But in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, some government officials are saying not so fast. And they include the man who actually signed the peace agreement on the government's behalf.

Mazjoub Al Khalifa Ahmed says the only force bringing peace to Darfur should be an African one. "Let us come up with something workable and practical that will not jeopardize⁵ the sovereignty of the country, and will maintain peace on the ground. There is no need to fail the AU and make a transition from the AU to the UN."

It is not only the Sudanese government that is claiming UN peacekeepers might breach⁶ Sudan's sovereignty. Al Qaeda's leader, Osama bin⁷ Laden⁸, is urging his followers⁹ to wage a jihad against any UN force that is deployed in Sudan a country that granted him refuge back in the 1990s.

The man who invited him to Sudan, is now rejecting that threat from the Al Qaeda leader. Dr. Hassan Al Turabi says UN peacekeepers will be safe in Sudan. "For the moment, I, as a matter of need and necessity, I welcome any interference. It doesn't have to come from any particular countries who are suspect of having ulterior motives¹⁰."

And the UN is indicating some willingness to compromise on the force's composition, to avoid the prospect¹¹ of an overwhelmingly white force moving in to resolve an African problem.

Egeland says "We believe it is in the interests of Sudan, in the interests of the people, in the interests of all Sudanese and certainly the government that there is such a force in the future. Well funded, with African, Arab, Asian, European and other forces. And that it will have regular budget funding from the UN, and therefore be more securely resourced.

Even if the government in Khartoum laid out the welcome mat immediately, it would take at least 6 months of planning and pre-positioning before the UN operation could get underway. That is at least another six months of fear and uncertainty¹² for the refugees of Darfur.

1 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

2 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。

3 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

4 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

5 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。

6 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

7 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

8 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

9 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

10 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

11 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

12 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。