UN: Violence Increasing in Chad Refugee Camps

 

By Lisa Schlein
 
The United Nations refugee agency is reporting growing violence against Sudanese refugees in and around camps in eastern Chad. The agency says steps are being taken to improve security for refugees who have fled the conflict in Darfur.

The U.N. refugee agency says three refugees have been killed in recent days. It says others have been attacked and beaten, their sheep have been stolen and, in at least one case, a girl who left the camp to collect firewood was raped¹.

Agency Spokesman Ron Redmond says the refugees and Chad authorities blame Chadian nomads² for the recent violence. He says they do not hold the local people who live in villages near the camps responsible for the escalating³ violence.

"Nevertheless, the incidents are indicative of increasing tension between the refugees and the local population, due to a lack of resources," he noted⁴. "While the Sudanese refugees were openly welcomed by Chadians belonging to the same ethnic⁵ groups when they first crossed the border, there is some resentment⁶ now among local people, who say the refugees in the camps are living better than they do."

Nearly 200,000 refugees from Darfur have fled to Chad since fighting between Black-African rebel groups and Sudanese-backed Arab militia⁷, known as the Janjaweed, broke out early last year. U.N. officials say refugees who were gathered at the border were subjected to attacks by the Janjaweed who crossed over from Sudan, beat them and stole their cattle.

Mr. Redmond says the UNHCR moved the refugees to 10 camps built at least 50 kilometers away from the border to protect them from these attacks. He says the refugees now are being victimized by Chadian nomads. He says High Commissioner⁸ for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, was made aware of these worrisome developments when he visited the camps a few days ago.

"We are doing what we can to help reduce the friction⁹ between the refugees and the local communities," he said. "The High Commissioner said more needs to be done. He called on donors¹⁰ to increase contributions to help local communities around the 10 camps that we have in eastern Chad. And, he also announced a number of UNHCR-financed projects, aimed at helping¹¹ local people near refugee camps."

The UNHCR spokesman says efforts are being stepped up to improve security in and around the refugee camps. He says 180 Chadian police, 20 of whom are women, have begun patrols around the 10 camps. He says the U.N. agency has given the police nine vehicles to help in their work.

Lisa Schlein for VOA News, Geneva.

注释：
Chad 乍得，非洲中北部国家
conflict 冲突
Darfur 达尔福尔，苏丹西部地区
rape 强奸
Chadian 乍得人
nomad 流浪者
escalate 逐步升高
resentment 憎恨，不满
Janjaweed 贾贾威德民兵队
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 联合国难民事务高级专员署
victimize 使受害
Ruud Lubbers 鲁德·卢柏斯，联合国难民高级专员
friction 摩擦，冲突

 

1 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

2 nomads   

n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活

参考例句：

• For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
• Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

7 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

8 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

9 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

10 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。