美国国家公共电台 NPR--The conflict in Sudan leaves hundreds dead, including babies at an orphanage

The conflict in Sudan leaves hundreds dead, including babies at an orphanage¹

Transcript²

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Reuters journalist Maggie Michael about the deaths of at least 50 children at a state-run orphanage in Sudan since fighting began weeks ago in Khartoum.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Hundreds of people have been killed and millions more displaced in the nearly seven weeks since two rival generals began fighting for power in Sudan. And the invisible victims of this war are Sudan's orphans³. At least 50 children, half of them infants, have died at the Mayqoma Orphanage in central Khartoum, an area of some of the most intense fighting. I spoke⁴ with Reuters investigative journalist Maggie Michael, who documented what's happening to Sudan's most vulnerable.

What is killing⁵ these kids at the orphanage?

MAGGIE MICHAEL: No. 1, lack of carers. So they don't have anyone to feed them. They needed to have a bottle of milk every three hours. They're just babies. The milk could be there, but no one to actually carry them and feed them. The No. 2 is heat. The last wave was really, really hard. We have 13 in one day, 10 in a second day, 14 in another day. And it's because of heat.

FADEL: Who died?

MICHAEL: The babies. These waves are, like, the latest ones. And the most recent ones are because there is no power for the air conditioners and the fans. And they're staying in rooms that are extremely hot.

FADEL: Now, how many caretakers typically are at this orphanage outside of conflict zone time and how many kids?

MICHAEL: Before war, they used to have around 80 mothers - they call them mothers or sometimes nannies - 80 of them for around 400. So this number dropped to two or three in the first weeks of the fighting. And then because of the appeals online, they managed to bring in volunteers. And the number reached around 40. And then it keeps going up and down. And this is very, very problematic. It's not stable situation.

FADEL: So there are moments where two or three people are caring for 400 children, including babies.

MICHAEL: Yes, exactly.

FADEL: So there's a lack of caretakers. But also, many of Sudan's hospitals are in these conflict areas unable to function because of staff shortages, looting, lack of supplies. How is the orphanage getting medical help for these kids?

MICHAEL: Yeah, exactly. This is the problem, also - that large number and the strong majority of hospitals in Khartoum are out of service. And even the babies of Mayqoma who are being treated in the hospitals will send back to Mayqoma without being treated. And many of them died. Some were in incubators. And Mayqoma doesn't really have enough for them. So medical supplies are also problematic but not a challenge as getting the people to Mayqoma and securing the steady power supply because this is extremely important.

FADEL: Now, you spoke to the general manager at Sudan's largest maternity⁶ hospital, as well, who described having to leave babies behind. Can you tell me about that?

MICHAEL: This is Dr. Ahmed (ph). He runs the largest Dayat Hospital, and he told me the militiamen occupied the building. Also, power supplies were cut. They had to leave and evacuate⁷. And because they don't have ambulances that are really equipped, they had to leave patients behind, including nine babies in incubators, and patients in ICU. So this is really a terrible situation in Khartoum.

FADEL: I'm thinking of the symbolism here. Like, what is more vulnerable than an orphaned⁸ baby who's on a ventilator, who's in an incubator, who can't get out of a conflict zone? When you were interviewing these caretakers, doctors, what are they asking for in this moment? What do they need in this moment so that they can get the most vulnerable parts of the country to safety?

MICHAEL: They need international humanitarian⁹ organizations to support, fund and negotiate passage, find alternative outside of this war zone. This is their top demand and have been trying. But it seems it's very, very hard to negotiate even between the fighters and the two factions¹⁰ fighting in Khartoum. So this is their biggest demand - is to just get out of here.

FADEL: That was Reuters investigative journalist Maggie Michael, who's documented what is happening to Sudan's orphaned babies in the capital. Thank you so much for your time.

MICHAEL: Thank you.

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1 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

4 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。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 maternity   

n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的

参考例句：

• Women workers are entitled to maternity leave with full pay.女工产假期间工资照发。
• Trainee nurses have to work for some weeks in maternity.受训的护士必须在产科病房工作数周。

7 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

8 orphaned   

[计][修]孤立

参考例句：

• Orphaned children were consigned to institutions. 孤儿都打发到了福利院。
• He was orphaned at an early age. 他幼年时便成了孤儿。

9 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。

10 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别