2007年VOA标准英语-Displaced Chadians Wait for Return to Burnt Vil

By Phuong Tran
Bandala, Chad
18 May 2007

Over the past year in eastern Chad, dozens of communities have fled fighting between rebel groups and Janjaweed militias² based in Sudan. The scorched³ landscape along the remote far east, along the border with Sudan, is now mostly empty after thousands of Chadians fled the constant border attacks and pillaging⁴. Phuong Tran talked to villagers from Bandala who escaped their burning homes six months ago and are now waiting to return safely.

At a temporary camp in Habile, 85 kilometers from Chad's border with Sudan, sisters Adama and Fatouma talk about returning home, but they say they are afraid they may not be able to recognize it when they get there.

Adama, the younger sister, says she remembers the mango, guava and tamarind trees around their house, but knows they are no longer there.

Her older sister Fatouma, a mother of seven, says when suspected Janjaweed militia¹ attacked and burned their village of about 700 people, the fighters took even the fruits from the earth. The sisters say they lost their mother in the attacks, and that they will not go back for now, because of the Janjaweed.

Sudanese mother and child, Habile, Chad, 14 May 2007

In Darfur, western Sudan, the conflict between rebels and the Janjaweed has killed some 200,000 people and displaced about 2.5 million others since 2003, with many from Darfur seeking refuge in Chad. Janjaweed militia, said to be supported by Sudan's government, have fought against rebels on both sides of the Chad-Sudan border, and are blamed for most attacks on civilians⁵ and torched villages. Chad and Sudan have repeatedly accused each other of supporting the other country's rebel movements and there have been many cross border raids.

Djima Barka Kamis has been the village chief of Bandala since 1963. The 60-year-old chief described what he remembers from six months ago.

"The Janjaweed attacked from east to west with their weapons," he said. "How could we have protected our village with only our bare hands? And we are still not safe here. They came after us here four months ago."

At the end of last year, fighting among different armed groups partially⁶ burned down Habile, where this camp is located.

Chief Kamis says no one at the camp feels safe.

"Even here, we are still not safe," he said. "Women are not able to leave this area because they can be raped⁷."

Humanitarian⁸ agencies have asked the international community to help improve border security, especially after Chad's army cut back its forces along the border early last year.

The army was fighting a Chad rebel movement elsewhere in the east that is seeking to overthrow⁹ the current government.

The reduction in troops has left huge patches of the 1,000-kilometer-long border between Chad and Sudan unprotected.

The United Nations is negotiating with the Sudanese and Chadian governments to post international peacekeepers along the border.

The camp in Habile, where the sisters have sought safety, is just kilometers from Bandala, their home village. Bandala is mostly silent now, except for the desert wind. The fruit trees are gone. Only piles of burnt branches, burnt and broken clay pots, and empty wrappers remain.

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 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

3 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

4 pillaging   

v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The rebels went looting and pillaging. 叛乱者趁火打劫，掠夺财物。
• Soldiers went on a rampage, pillaging stores and shooting. 士兵们横冲直撞，洗劫商店并且开枪射击。 来自辞典例句

5 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。

6 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

7 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

8 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。

9 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。