VOA标准英语10月-Red Cross: Life in Mogadishu Remains Precarious

The International Committee of the Red Cross says the situation in Mogadishu, the Somali capital has calmed somewhat since the intensification¹ of fighting last week. Nevertheless, it says dangers persist and lack of security is causing difficulties in providing aid. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from ICRC headquarters in Geneva.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says the recent fighting between insurgents² and Ethiopian-backed Somali government forces has taken a heavy toll³.
　

Resident of Mogadishu flees with his child from embattled capital, 24 Sep 2008

It reports at least 12,000 people fled their homes in panic to safer areas in Mogadishu or in the outskirts⁴, which already are overflowing⁵ with displaced people.

It says scores of people have been killed and the city's two hospitals remain overwhelmed by the influx⁶ of casualties, resulting from the conflict. It says more than 140 wounded people were admitted.

Red Cross spokeswoman, Anna Schaafe, tells VOA the heavy fighting prevented many other injured people from obtaining urgently needed medical care.

"The hospitals are coping and now they do have enough supplies to treat the wounded," she explained. "But, the fact is that there are only a few surgeons working there and these surgeons need to take care of all these wounded. So, it is difficult because they cannot treat everyone at the same time. They were working 24 hours a day last week and it was a very difficult situation for them."

The Red Cross is providing medical supplies for the two hospitals in Mogadishu, which between them have treated more than 2200 casualties since January.
　

Somali child sits on a cart as the family leaves Mogadishu, 24 Sep 2008

Schaafe says the Red Cross recently has begun to support five temporary Somali Red Crescent Society primary health care clinics on the outskirts of Mogadishu. These clinics, she says care for more than 200,000 people who have fled the capital during the past months.

She says it is difficult for aid workers to reach all the people in need of assistance.

"It is dangerous. And, it needs careful assessment⁷ of the security situation every time," she said. "It needs a lot of flexibility⁸ for our staff to decide really at the last moment where it is safe today to go and where they can go and where they cannot go."

In the past four months, Schaafe says the Red Cross has been providing food for more than one-half million displaced people and their host families. She says the agency also has distributed essential items such as shelter material, kitchen sets, blankets and clothing to 420,000 people.

The ICRC has been providing humanitarian⁹ aid for the Somali population since 1977.

1 intensification   

n.激烈化，增强明暗度；加厚

参考例句：

• The intensification of the immunological response represents the body's natural defense. 增强免疫反应代表身体的自然保卫。 来自辞典例句
• Agriculture in the developing nations is not irreversibly committed, to a particular pattern of intensification. 发展中国家的农业并没有完全为某种集约化形式所束缚。 来自辞典例句

2 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

6 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

7 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

8 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

9 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。