2006年VOA标准英语-Sudanese Militia Continue Attacks in Chad

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
06 June 2006

 
Sudanese refugee children sit in their makeshift classroom, Wednesday, April 19, 2006 in the refugee camp Kou Kou Angarana in Chad some 30 kilometers from the Sudan border
  
The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) says it is extremely concerned about continuing attacks by Sudanese janjaweed militia¹ in eastern Chad.  The UNHCR says the number of people fleeing the raids is rising.

--------------------------------------

In the latest attack, a few days ago, the U.N. refugee agency reports armed militiamen stole 350 head of cattle in the Goz Beida region of eastern Chad. 

Spokesman Ron Redmond, says in this instance no one was killed.  But, he says there have been numerous cases in recent months where people have died in raids.  In April, for instance, he says hundreds of janjaweed attacked a village, massacring more than 100 men and stealing hundreds of cattle. 

He says the violence is forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

"UNHCR teams have interviewed many displaced in spontaneous settlements," he said.  "They say attacks are being perpetrated by janjaweed militia coming from Sudan.  They also said that on several occasions, they recognized Chadians from other tribes taking part in attacks together with the Sudanese janjaweed militia.  They allege² that those Chadians had concluded agreements with the militia to avoid attacks on their own properties and livestock³." 

Redmond says the attacks have become more systematic⁴ and deadly over the past three months.   He says the ongoing⁵ insecurity also poses a threat to 213,000 Sudanese refugees from Darfur who are staying in 12 camps along the border with Sudan. 

The UNHCR reports an estimated 50,000 Chadians have been displaced in the eastern part of the country in recent months and that number is growing.   Redmond says the arrival of additional displaced people in Chadian villages and towns is straining the limited resources of local communities.

"Those camps themselves with over 200,000 refugees are already straining resources in eastern Chad," he added.  "If we are going to start seeing tens of thousands of internally displaced on top of that, then we are going to be facing some major, major problems.  That is why UNHCR is asking for both Chad and Sudan to do more about security or insecurity along that big border.  And, also asking for more international engagement." 

For the past few months, the U.N. High Commissioner⁶ for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, has been warning of growing regional instability if nothing is done to prevent cross border attacks from escalating⁷.

1 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。

2 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

3 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

4 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 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。

7 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