VOA常速英语2008年-Violence in Kenya Leaves Hundreds of Thousands

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
21 February 2008
 

In Kenya, violence that began shortly after elections in December is blamed for the deaths of more than 1,000 people and the displacement¹ of 600,000 others. Many who fled their homes now live in church compounds, police stations and other locations across the country. Cathy Majtenyi visited several displaced persons camps and filed this report for VOA.

Alice Muthoni recalls the night she was forced to flee her home in the Rift² Valley of western Kenya, leaving everything behind.

"We were told that the attackers were on their way coming to our place about 3 p.m," she recalled.  "Right away we took our children and ran away, praying so that they did not reach us. We saw them from some distance, so we just ran away."

The mother of four now lives in a compound in Molo town. Her children are staying in other locations, and she does not know the whereabouts of some family members.

Muthoni is one of hundreds of thousands of Kenyans who fled their homes during the violence that swept across their country following the December 27 elections.

The violence initially³ focused on the elections results. Many accuse Mwai Kibaki and his Party of National Unity⁴ of rigging the elections in their favor at the expense of the Orange Democratic Movement, led by Raila Odinga.

But people caught up in the chaos⁵ say the violence is also ethnic-based, with certain groups burning and destroying the homes and businesses of other groups in tensions that date back to colonial times.

The result is deserted⁶ farmlands, hunger, disease, family breakdown⁷ and a widespread feeling of despair.

This is starkly⁸ evident in places such as the Jamhuri Showground in the capital Nairobi. Thousands of people have been living there in cowsheds and other buildings since the violence erupted.

Among the worst affected⁹ are children and youths. Many are traumatized by the bloodshed they have witnessed and the abuse they have suffered.

They are not able to return to school, largely because their classrooms are in shambles¹⁰ or their homes, destroyed.

Joyce Moraa, 16,  is in Grade 10. She says her family is destitute¹¹,

"Even our donkeys and cows that they [the family] could sell and get money to pay for me, were stolen, all of them," she said.

Thousands of people are returning to their ancestral villages.

Sarah Peter has lived in the Rift Valley town of Nakuru in western Kenya for 20 years. She says she and her family face an uncertain future because they feel threatened there.

"People [and their things] have been destroyed, burning houses, some were being killed, some have been thrown away," she said.

Both national and international aid agencies have jumped in to deal with the crisis, with the Kenya Red Cross leading humanitarian¹² efforts.

Secretary-General of the Kenya Red Cross Abbas Gullet says his agency so far has been able to feed, clothe and house the displaced, but a longer-term approach is needed.

"We could look at three months to six months where you are going to help people in this whole post-election recovery period, where it is about going back to their farms. They are looking for seeds and tools, shelter and reconstruction¹³ and rehabilitation," he said.

Aid workers, camp residents and Kenyans in general are calling for an end to the violence.

Many hope that, with a negotiated political settlement, the nation can then concentrate on healing and moving forward.

1 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

2 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

3 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。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

6 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

7 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

8 starkly   

adj. 变硬了的,完全的 adv. 完全,实在,简直

参考例句：

• The city of Befast remains starkly divided between Catholics and Protestants. 贝尔法斯特市完全被处在天主教徒和新教徒的纷争之中。
• The black rocks stood out starkly against the sky. 那些黑色的岩石在天空衬托下十分显眼。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 shambles   

n.混乱之处；废墟

参考例句：

• My room is a shambles.我房间里乱七八糟。
• The fighting reduced the city to a shambles.这场战斗使这座城市成了一片废墟。

11 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。

12 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。

13 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。