VOA常速英语2008年-UN Aid Agencies Call for Humanitarian Corridor

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
09 February 2008

The United Nations and aid agencies are calling for the re-opening of the humanitarian¹ corridor between Cameroon and Chad to allow vital help to reach hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees and internally displaced people in eastern Chad.  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from the UN's European headquarters in Geneva.

The United Nations and private aid agencies established a humanitarian corridor running from Cameroon to eastern Chad several years ago. But recent fighting between forces loyal to Chadian President Idriss Deby and rebel groups in the capital N'Djamena has disrupted that route. The corridor is now closed.

World Food Program (WFP) spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume tells VOA it is critical that the humanitarian corridor be re-opened as quickly as possible.

"Because we need absolutely to pre-position food before the rainy season starts and it starts in June and it lasts for five months," she said.  "And, the rainy season in the eastern part of Chad is so bad that it cuts this area from the rest of the country.  There is no way we can bring food by road. The road is totally flooded." 

The United Nations and international aid agencies are caring for some 240,000 Sudanese refugees from the conflict-ridden province of Darfur. They are also assisting 180,000 people from Chad who were forced to flee their homes when their villages came under attack by various rebel groups.

Berthiaume says, so far, the situation is under control. She says WFP has 12,000 tons of food inside Chad.  And the agency completed its January food distributions for the refugees and internally displaced before the conflict in N'Djamena started. 

She says aid workers have finished distributing February's food rations² to refugees in three of the 12 camps in eastern Chad.  And, they are in the process of completing this operation. 

But Berthiaume says the situation is very fragile.

"So obviously, any delay in the transport of food is a problem for the future for us," she said.  "So we need that corridor to open as quickly as possible.  For WFP, the best way is to bring food by convoys⁴, by trucks. To airlift food, it costs a lot of money.  And you never can bring as much food by plane as you can in a convoy³." 

The UN refugee agency, which oversees⁵ operations in eastern Chad, urges a swift re-opening of the road connecting Cameroon with Chad.  Barring that, it says a humanitarian air corridor must be set up between the eastern town of Abeche and the capital N'Djamena and the region.

It says this is needed to guarantee the smooth running of its operations and to avoid supply shortages in the east.

1 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。

2 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

3 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

4 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

5 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网