VOA常速英语2017--中非共和国暴力形势加剧

There has been a spike¹ in violence in one of Africa's poorest and most war-torn countries, the Central African Republic, known as CAR.

非洲最贫穷、受战争蹂躏最深重的国家中非共和国(CAR)出现了前所未有的暴力形势高峰。

The United Nations Office for the Coordination² of Humanitarian³ Affairs released a report this month saying that the frequency and brutality⁴ of attacks against communities have surged to levels last seen in 2014. Entire towns have been emptied, houses burnt down and women and children brutally⁵ killed.

本月，联合国人道主义事务协调厅发布了一份报告，报告中写道，针对中非共和国各社区的袭击，其频率之高、残暴之甚已经达到了2014年以来的新高。各城镇空无一人，房屋尽数烧毁，妇女儿童也惨遭杀害。

The terrifying violence by armed militias⁶ in the CAR started in 2012 and intensified⁷ when a mostly Muslim rebel group, the Seleka, overthrew⁸ President Fran?ois Bozize in 2013. Atrocities⁹ committed by the Seleka gave rise to a predominantly Christian¹⁰ group to counter it, the anti-Balaka, which similarly committed untold¹¹ human rights abuses. Sectarian attacks by each group against each other and against innocent civilians¹² devastated¹³ the country.

武装民兵组织的暴虐行径始于2012年，并在2013年随着一只主要由穆斯林组成的叛军组织塞雷卡推翻了时任总统弗朗索瓦 博齐泽(Fran?ois Bozize)而加剧。塞雷卡的暴虐行径又让一只主要由基督教徒组成的组织揭竿而起，该组织名为反巴拉卡武装力量。但该组织也重蹈覆辙，违背了人权，犯下了滔天的罪行。各宗派之间的互相残杀和对无辜百姓的袭击毁了这个国家。

An accord agreed to in 2015 by the rival militias requiring them to disarm¹⁴, as well as a presidential election in 2016, raised hope for a new and more peaceful future for the country.

这些互相对立的民兵组织于2015年达成了一项协议，该协议要求各方解除武装，还要求要在2016年进行总统大选。这份协议的签订让中非共和国燃起了拥抱和平未来的新希望。

But many armed rebels did not disarm, and violence has continued; and, as the UN has documented, recently escalated¹⁵.

但有很多武装叛军并未解除武装，暴力依然在继续；根据联合国的数据，最近，暴力形势反而升级。

The security situation in CAR deteriorated¹⁶ last month, leading to more than 300 people killed and over 100,000 displaced. In southeastern CAR, six peacekeepers from MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeping mission in CAR, were killed near the town of Bangassou. In the central town of Bria, violence between rebel groups resulted in thousands of civilians pouring into makeshift camps.

上个月，中非共和国安全形势的急转直下导致300多人死亡，10万多人流离失所。中非共和国东南部有6名来自联合国驻中非多层面综合稳定团(MINUSCA)的维和人员在班加苏(Bangassou)镇附近遭到杀害。在中部城镇布里亚(Bria)，各叛军组织之间的暴力冲突导致无数百姓大批涌入临时的难民救济营。

The United States is deeply concerned by the recent violence.

美国对中非共和国最近的暴力形势深感担忧。

In a written statement, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said, We strongly condemn¹⁷ these acts of violence and the targeted attacks against humanitarian actors whose sole purpose in the CAR is to provide lifesaving support to the population.

在一份纸质声明中，国务院发言人诺尔特(Heather Nauert)表示，我们强烈谴责这种针对维和人员的暴力行径和攻击，因为维和人员来到中非共和国的唯一目的就是挽救生命。

Spokesperson Nauert wrote that the United States mourns the deaths of the UN peacekeepers, as well: The security and support provided by MINUSCA are essential for the CAR to move beyond crisis, she noted¹⁸.

诺尔特还写道，美国为维和人员的逝去表示默哀：联合国驻中非多层面综合稳定团为中非共和国带来了安全，提供了支持，让中非共和国可以跨越危机。

We commend President Faustin-Archange Touadera and his government for their commitment to justice, the rule of law, and accountability for perpetrators of mass atrocities, including through the creation of the Special Criminal court, said Ms. Nauert. The United States fully¹⁹ supports justice and reconciliation²⁰, not only as measures for individuals who have suffered – but as essential steps towards building a peaceful and inclusive CAR.

我们赞扬图瓦德拉(Faustin-Archange Touadera)及其政府对公正和法治的追求，赞扬他们致力于将残虐施暴者绳之以法。他们甚至还开设了特殊刑事法庭，诺尔特如是说道。美国全力支持司法与调解，不仅将其作为受害者的利器，也将其作为构建和平包容的中非共和国的必要措施。

1 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

2 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

3 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。

4 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

5 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

6 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

7 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

9 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

12 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。

13 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

14 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

15 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。

16 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

17 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

20 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。