VOA标准英语2013--Aid Agencies: World Has Forgotten Darfur Conflict

 

Aid Agencies: World Has Forgotten Darfur Conflict

An estimated 300,000 people have died in the decade-long conflict in Darfur, most of them civilians¹. Almost two million have fled their homes. 

Abakar Adam has lived in a refugee camp near the town of El Fasher since the fighting began in 2003.

"If things go well and peace comes I'll return one day and will stay here no more," he said. "But the first thing we need is the disarmament of the people who carry weapons." 

It's a conflict the world has largely forgotten, says Andrej Mahecic of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner² for Refugees, or UNHCR.

"Often the donors³' attention, and attention of the world in general, tends to go towards the most visible and most dramatic and current crisis. But the fact of the matter is we are now dealing⁴ in Darfur with a protracted⁵ situation; it's been now 10 years, the needs are still there," he said. 

The conflict began with a crackdown on rebel uprisings in Darfur by government-backed militia⁶ known as the "Janjaweed." 

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged⁷ war crimes against civilians in Darfur, denies the accusations⁸. 

As the conflict enters its second decade, the United States has called for an effective and inclusive political process.

Andrej Mahecic of the UNHCR said, "Since January this year, we have seen about 100,000 people fleeing the [latest] round of violence. On the other hand, there are areas such as West Darfur which are enjoying relative peace and stability, and we have seen almost a quarter of a million people returning since the beginning of 2011. So it is a very different, a fluid situation."

The charity Kids For Kids helps families to stay in their remote villages by loaning goats and donkeys, while building basic services like water pumps. 

Its founder⁹, Patricia Parker, says just small donations make a difference, but they've fallen away in recent years.

"People think that because Darfur hasn't been in the news, that it must be all right," she said. "So they've moved on to other things. There are other disasters elsewhere in the world. What is a tragedy is that these families are beyond deprivation¹⁰, beyond poverty." 

Parker says rocketing inflation in Sudan has halved¹¹ the income of many households, making life even tougher.

"The indirect effects of violence are actually worse - and they're out of sight - than you can possibly imagine," she said. "We had the tragic¹² news that in a very small village of just 2,000 people, 50 children died of malnutrition¹³ alone. That didn't allow for malaria¹⁴ and all the other things that we know are terrible killers¹⁵ in places like Darfur."

On the tenth anniversary of the Darfur conflict, aid agencies say the fighting and the suffering continue - unseen and forgotten. 

1 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。

2 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

3 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

8 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

9 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

10 deprivation   

n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困

参考例句：

• Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.多实验都证实了睡眠被剥夺是危险的。
• Missing the holiday was a great deprivation.错过假日是极大的损失。

11 halved   

v.把…分成两半( halve的过去式和过去分词 )；把…减半；对分；平摊

参考例句：

• The shares have halved in value . 股价已经跌了一半。
• Overall operating profits halved to $24 million. 总的营业利润减少了一半，降至2，400 万元。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

13 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

14 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

15 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。