2006年VOA标准英语-Annan: Sudanese Leaders May Be Held Responsible

By Peter Heinlein
09 September 2006

Kofi Annan

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned Sudan's leaders they could be held responsible for the suffering and death in Darfur if they refuse to allow U.N. peacekeepers into the region.

-----

With the Security Council set to hold a debate on Darfur Monday, Secretary-General Annan expressed frustration¹ that his attempts to persuade Sudanese leaders to accept U.N. troops in Darfur have failed. "I have been working with quite a few governments to try to get the government of Sudan to show flexibility², but we have so far not been successful. The message I have tried to get to the Sudanese government is that the international community is not coming in as an invading force, but basically to help them protect the people. If the Government had been able to do it itself, I don't think we would be having this debate," he said.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has sharply rejected any United Nations presence in Darfur, where war and disease have killed two-hundred thousand people and forced millions more to flee their homes over the past three and a half years.

A seven-thousand strong African Union force has tried with little success to halt violence in the vast region. But the A.U. force mandate³ expires at the end of September, and President Bashir has refused to allow the force to be strengthened and placed under U.N. command.

With the A.U. force in disarray⁴ and its future uncertain, Sudanese troops last month launched a major offensive in Darfur, believed to involve thousands of ground troops backed by aircraft.

With humanitarian⁵ aid workers reporting worsening conditions, Secretary-General Annan warned leaders in Khartoum Friday to accept blue-helmeted troops into Darfur or face the consequences. "The situation on the ground is serious, is desperate, and if they do not accept help, and the African Union has made it quite clear that they do not have the capacity to continue and they welcome a transition to the U.N., so if he denies the U.N. presence, discourages the African Union, and they leave, and the situation gets really desperate with thousands, even larger numbers, suffering or being killed. They are placing themselves in a situation where the leadership may be held collectively and individually responsible for what happens to the population in Darfur," he said.

The Darfur conflict began in early 2003 when rebels attacked government positions, complaining that the remote region remained undeveloped due to neglect by the government. Sudan is accused of responding by arming militias⁶ known as janjaweed to crush the rebellion, using a savage⁷ campaign of rape⁸ and murder - a charges the government denies.

The U.S. based group Human Rights Watch this week accused the Sudanese military of indiscriminate bombing in Darfur over the past few days.

1 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

2 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

3 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

4 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。

5 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。

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 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

8 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。