VOA常速英语2008年-Aid Workers Withdrawn From Eastern Chad Followi

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
01 February 2008

The U.N. refugee agency reports more than 40 staff and aid workers from private organizations have been withdrawn¹ from the Eastern Chad town of Guereda following a series of armed attacks in the area.   The aid workers have been relocated to the town of Abeche, where UNHCR manages 12 refugee camps for 240,000 refugees from Sudan's conflict-ridden province of Darfur.  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.

The worst incidents occurred on Wednesday and Thursday when suspected rebels entered the UNHCR compound in Guereda.  They stole five vehicles at gunpoint. 

U.N. refugee spokesman, William Spindler, says the agency is upset that it has been forced to relocate its staff out of the area.  But, he says, it had no other choice.

"The whole region is very volatile² and only last December, we lost a staff member in southern Chad.  So, we really need to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our staff," said Mr. Spindler.

Spindler says this is not the first time the UNHCR has had to reduce its presence in the region.  He says there have been similar situations in the past.  He says the agency has made provisions for the refugees.

"Some of the remaining staff in Guereda went to the two refugee camps yesterday to distribute food and water and provide health care," he added.  "They reported that the refugees are very worried about the deteriorating³ security situation.  Tensions between opposition⁴ forces and the Chadian National Army have been mounting since Monday, leading to increased security incidents, especially in Guereda, which lies about 165 kilometers northeast of Abeche.  There are also reports of opposition groups moving towards the capital, N'Djamena, where our staff have been advised to stay at home." 

Further complicating⁵ the situation, Spindler says some 2,000 Sudanese refugees from southwest Darfur arrived in Chad a few days ago and nearly 6,000 refugees from the Central African Republic have arrived in several border villages in southern Chad over the past few weeks.

The UNHCR cares for an estimated 240,000 refugees from Darfur in 12 sprawling⁶ camps and 180,000 internally displaced Chadians in the east. 

Spindler says the camps have been officially handed over to refugee leaders to manage until the aid workers are able to return and resume humanitarian⁷ operations.

1 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

2 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

3 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

6 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

7 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。