VOA标准英语2011--UN Assists Sudanese Refugees Fleeing Conflict

UN Assists Sudanese Refugees Fleeing Conflict

 

The U.N. refugee agency continues emergency airlifts to aid thousands of refugees fleeing fighting in Sudan.

The fighting between government forces and rebels is taking place in two Sudanese states – Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan. As a result, many civilians¹ have sought safety in South Sudan.

UNHCR spokesperson Vivian Tan said the refugee crisis is getting worse in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State.

“This situation is of growing concern to us because we’re seeing hundreds of people arriving every day into the Upper Nile State from Blue Nile State. And these people are in desperate condition. They’ve walked for weeks to get to south Sudan. They say they’ve fled in anticipation² of attacks in Blue Nile State. And they’re desperate for food, water, for shelter,” she said.

Doro and Il Fug

Most of the refugees have gathered in the village of Doro in Maban County, far from the border.

Sudanese refugees at the Yida camp in Unity3 State in South Sudan, November 16, 2011. The refugees fled fighting in Sudan's Southern Kordofan States

“The estimated numbers are between 28- and 31,000 refugees there now. They’ve started building more durable⁴ shelters because in the beginning they were sort of scattered⁵ in the area living in makeshift shelters. We’ve allocated⁶ land for them. That’s a camp in progress. We’ve completed part of it, a section called Doro One, and we’re working on a section called Doro Two, which is an extension of it,” he said.

However, Tan said the top priority is to assist 15 to 20,000 refugees near Il Fug, very close to the Sudan border.

“The challenges are many, including bad roads, which are preventing us from reaching some of these refugees. And also just other logistical problems, like trying to fly in and truck in as many supplies as possible. Another problem that we’re facing is the presence of landmines⁷ and unexploded ordinance⁸, which is affecting both road access and the establishment of camps in that area,” he said.

Despite that, UNHCR has managed to begin moving them further from the border to a camp called Jemam.

Other hot spot

Meanwhile, the U.N. agency is also helping⁹ more than 20,000 refugees from Southern Kordofan State. They’ve crossed the border into South Sudan’s Unity State.

“There’s an area called Yida where many of these refugees have settled. Again it’s close to the border and it’s of great concern because it’s actually come under attack before. We’ve been trying to persuade these refugees to move further inland south for several months now. But they don’t want to move. So that’s a big challenge for us because any move that they make has to be voluntary,” he said.

UNHCR airlifts began about a week ago, carrying $10 million worth of emergency supplies, including plastic sheets, buckets, kitchen sets and tents.

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

3 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。

4 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

5 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

6 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

7 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

8 ordinance   

n.法令；条令；条例

参考例句：

• The Ordinance of 1785 provided the first land grants for educational purposes.1785年法案为教育目的提供了第一批土地。
• The city passed an ordinance compelling all outdoor lighting to be switched off at 9.00 PM.该市通过一条法令强令晚上九点关闭一切室外照明。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。