2007年VOA标准英语-Senegal's Casamance Villagers Say They Are Tire

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
31 May 2007

Intermittent¹ fighting between rebel groups in Senegal's southern Casamance region has led 1,000 or more refugees to flee across the border to The Gambia. Naomi Schwarz has more for VOA from Dakar.

After more than two decades of fighting between rebel groups and the Senegalese government, villagers in the Casamance region of southern Senegal have become accustomed to fleeing from their homes.

Most of the people in this lush, tropical region are farmers. When they flee their homes, they have to round up their livestock² and bring them across the border with them.

In the northern part of Casamance, the nearest border is with The Gambia, and villagers there have close family and economic ties on both sides of the border, says local journalist Alpha Jallow.

"All their things, all their basic commodities they got. from The Gambia," he said. "Some of their children are attending school in The Gambia. A lot of [men] are finding work in The Gambia."

Jallow says these connections make it easier for the people in this part of Casamance to head for The Gambia when fighting flares³ up.

"So just a little disturbance⁴ will send them into Gambia," hr said. "Because right now in Gambia, a lot of them are not staying with the Gambia Red Cross Society, but they are staying with relatives."

Lamine Gassama, with the Gambian Red Cross, says the constant movement makes it hard for the humanitarian⁵ organization to provide real help.

"The challenge is basically because most of them are not patient," said Gassama. "They move forth⁶ and back."

Teneng Sambou who fled her village with her two daughters, says she too, is tired of going back and forth.

Sambou says they need help from the government to clear out the rebels once and for all.

Rebels in Casamance, who have been fighting for more autonomy from Dakar, signed a peace agreement with the Senegalese government in 2004. But some of the rebel leaders have not accepted the accord and fighting has continued. In addition, hostilities⁷ have recently broken out between opposing rebel factions⁸.

1 intermittent   

adj.间歇的，断断续续的

参考例句：

• Did you hear the intermittent sound outside?你听见外面时断时续的声音了吗？
• In the daytime intermittent rains freshened all the earth.白天里，时断时续地下着雨，使整个大地都生气勃勃了。

2 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

3 flares   

n.喇叭裤v.（使）闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 )；（使）（船舷）外倾；（使）鼻孔张大；（使）（衣裙、酒杯等）呈喇叭形展开

参考例句：

• The side of a ship flares from the keel to the deck. 船舷从龙骨向甲板外倾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation. 他是火爆性子，一点就着。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 disturbance   

n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调

参考例句：

• He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
• You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。

5 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。

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

7 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

8 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别