2007年VOA标准英语-UNHCR to Repatriate Thousands of Mauritanian Re

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
31 August 2007

The U.N. refugee agency is appealing for seven million dollars to fund the voluntary repatriation¹ of 24,000 Mauritanian refugees from Senegal and Mali. The UNHCR, which is launching the appeal Friday, says this return will help resolve one of the most protracted² refugee situations in the world. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.

A refugee girl in Dodel, a Mauritanian refugee camp in Senegal

Some of the refugees have spent more than two decades in exile. The U.N. refugee agency says the repatriation operation is set to begin in October and will take about 17 months to complete.

U.N. refugee spokeswoman, Jennifer Pagonis, says it is now possible to return the refugees because the newly elected Mauritanian government has made a point of welcoming the exiles home.

She says this is wonderful news for thousands of Mauritanians who have not seen their homeland in many years. But, she notes the logistics of getting them home are daunting³.

"They are spread along the Senegal river about 500 kilometers, I think, along this river on many different settlements. So, getting all these people together who have been living there for a couple of decades now and getting transport across the river," said Pagonis. "We had to take into account the rainy season before all this would be possible. And, then getting them from the other side of the border back to their areas of origin. They need to have off road vehicles if they are far off the main roads. And so we need off road vehicles to be able to get them back home."

In April 1989, a long-standing border dispute between Mauritania and Senegal escalated⁴ into ethnic⁵ violence. Some 60,000 Mauritanians fled to Senegal and Mali., most settled in hundreds of villages along the Senegal River valley. Many Mauritanian citizens were expelled from Senegal to Mauritania.

The UNHCR provided assistance to the Mauritanian refugees in northern Senegal until 1995. Pagonis says her agency helped reintegrate some 35,000 Mauritanians who returned home on their own between 1996 and 1998.

In the meantime, she says many of the Mauritanian refugees have carved out a life for themselves in Senegal. She says she believes a number of people will initially⁶ be reluctant to register for voluntary repatriation. She adds that is a normal reaction.

"A bunch are desperate to get back," said Pagonis. "Often they are older people. And, then there are others who, once they see people going back and that they feel secure and happy when they get back there, they also decide they would also like to go back home. So, I imagine there will be an initial sort of rush of people and that will increase as time goes on."

Pagonis says the Mauritanian government has given assurances that returnees will enjoy the same rights and have access to the same services as other Mauritanian nationals. She says this includes access to documentation and participation⁷ in social and economic activities.

1 repatriation   

n.遣送回国，归国

参考例句：

• The Volrep programme is the preferred means of repatriation. 政府认为自愿遣返计划的遣返方法较为可取。 来自互联网
• Arrange the cargo claiming and maritime affairs,crews repatriation,medical treatment,traveling so on. （六）洽办货物理赔，船舶海事处理，办理船员遣返，就医，旅游等。 来自互联网

2 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

4 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。