VOA常速英语2007年-UN Examining Expulsion of Darfur Humanitarian O

By Derek Kilner
Nairobi
08 November 2007

The United Nations has expressed concern about the expulsion of its top humanitarian¹ official from South Darfur, Sudan. As Derek Kilner reports from VOA's East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, the move is the latest confrontation² between the Sudanese government and international humanitarian groups in the region.

The South Darfur government has expelled Wael al-Haj-Ibrahim, the top official of the U.N. Office for the Coordination³ of Humanitarian Affairs in the state capital, Nyala. The office is responsible for coordinating⁴ international aid efforts in the state.

According to the United Nations, Ibrahim, a Canadian national, has been barred only from South Darfur and can stay in Sudan.

U.N. spokeswoman Orla Clinton tells VOA the organization has not yet received a clear explanation of the government's actions.

"He was forced to leave South Darfur. This is a directive from the state government. Today, we are having meetings with the government here in Khartoum on this," said Clinton. "The only indication we have been given was that he was not complying with the humanitarian acts. Now, we don't exactly know what that means and we are looking for clarifications on this. So, we are hoping to have those clarifications today."

Clinton says poor treatment of humanitarian workers in Nyala, which hosts the largest concentration of displaced people in the region, has been a recurring⁵ problem.

"This is not so much about one person. It is about a broader issue relating to humanitarian staff. Of course, we are very concerned about the potential implications of this, particularly in a place like Nyala, where we have up to one million IDPs [internally displaced people] in need of assistance in the camps. It is not the first time that somebody has been removed from Nyala, so we would like to see that our humanitarian workers are protected," added Clinton.

In late October, the world body and international human rights groups accused Sudanese police of forcibly moving displaced people from camps near Nyala. The government has advocated for closing the camps, saying they are too dirty and insecure, but has denied forcing anyone to move.

A joint⁶ U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force is scheduled to deploy⁷ in Darfur by January. Peace negotiations⁸ between the Sudanese government and rebels in Libya are on hold, while international mediators attempt to convince several key rebels to attend the talks.

U.N. estimates are that 200,000 people have been killed and more than 2.2 million others have been displaced by fighting in Darfur since 2003.

1 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。

2 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

3 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。

4 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

5 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。