2007年VOA标准英语-US Envoy to Sudan Fails to Secure UN Peackeeper

By Noel King
Khartoum
10 January 2007

The governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, has wrapped up a four-day trip to Sudan as head of a delegation¹ from U.S.-based advocacy group, the Save Darfur Coalition².  Richardson did not accomplish his goal of persuading Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to accept U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur, but did broker³ a ceasefire between the Sudanese Government and Darfur rebels. For VOA, Noel King has this report from Khartoum.
 

Bill Richardson speaks during a press conference in Khartoum, 9 Jan 2007

Governor Richardson told reporters in Khartoum on Wednesday that he has secured a 60-day ceasefire between the government of Sudan and rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement.
 
Although previous attempts at a ceasefire in the war-torn region have failed to stem violence, Richardson said he is optimistic about the chances of the new agreement. 

"President Bashir agreed to the start of a peace process that includes a 60-day cessation of hostilities⁴," he said.  "All parties must agree to the ceasefire. Rebel leaders I spoke⁵ to said they would."

The ceasefire will proceed under the auspices⁶ of the African Union and the United Nations though it is unclear when the cessation of hostilities will enter into effect.
 
It is equally unclear if the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels will live up to their end of what is, at present, only a verbal agreement.
 
Darfur's fragmented rebel movements have splintered even further in recent months, casting some doubt on the ability of a ceasefire to halt violence on the ground.
 
Sudan's military campaign against the rebels has lead to civilian⁷ casualties and displaced thousands of people.
 
Governor Richardson also pressed al-Bashir to drop his resistance to United Nations peacekeepers in Darfur.
 
Richardson met with al-Bashir in Khartoum on Monday and Wednesday, but failed to secure an agreement on the issue of U.N. troops. 
 
Sudan has likened U.N. efforts to enter Darfur, to colonization⁸.
 
The international community has pressured Sudan to allow a U.N. mission to replace the struggling African Union (AU), which has suffered from funding problems and a weak mandate⁹.
 
The AU has only about 7,000 peacekeepers patrolling a remote area the size of France.
 
The United Nations Security Council voted in August to send more than 20,000 troops to the region to replace the African Union mission.
 
Sudan has sent conflicting signals on whether it will eventually allow a large U.N. presence in the region.
 
At present Sudan has agreed to allow around 100 United Nations staff to provide technical and logistical support to the AU in Darfur.
 
The Darfur conflict, soon to enter its fourth year, began when rebels attacked government positions complaining that the region remained undeveloped due to neglect by Sudan's powerful central government.

Sudan is charged with arming Arab militias¹⁰ to crush the rebellion using a savage¹¹ campaign of rape¹² and murder, targeting civilians¹³.
 
At least 200,000 people are believed to have died during the conflict.
 
More than 2.5 million others have been displaced in Darfur and eastern Chad.

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

4 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 auspices   

n.资助，赞助

参考例句：

• The association is under the auspices of Word Bank.这个组织是在世界银行的赞助下办的。
• The examination was held under the auspices of the government.这次考试是由政府主办的。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

8 colonization   

殖民地的开拓，殖民，殖民地化； 移殖

参考例句：

• Colonization took place during the Habsburg dynasty. 开拓殖民地在哈布斯堡王朝就进行过。
• These countries took part in the colonization of Africa. 这些国家参与非洲殖民地的开发。

9 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。

10 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

11 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。

12 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。

13 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。