The U.N. refugee agency says it finally has succeeded in entering the so-called "buffer zone" north of the town of Gori in Georgia. The zone is controlled by Russian military forces and has been out of reach during the past weeks due to the unstable security situation.
联合国难民机构说，他们终于成功地进入了在格鲁吉亚城市哥里以北的缓冲区。这个缓冲区由俄罗斯军队控制，由于安全形势不稳定，过去几星期来一直无法进入。
The so-called buffer zone is a strip of land that borders Georgia and its breakaway region of South Ossetia. It is under control of the Russian military and during the past few weeks thousands of residents were forced to flee their homes after being attacked by marauding militia men, many reportedly from South Ossetia.
这个所谓的缓冲区是格鲁吉亚和分离地区南奥塞梯之间的地带。它在俄罗斯军队的控制下，过去几星期来，数以千计的居民在遭受民兵团匪的袭击抢掠后，被迫逃离家园，据报导，这些民兵有许多来自南奥塞梯。
The area has been off-limits to the U.N. refugee agency until now. Spokesman William Spindler says aid workers who recently ventured into the area to assess the situation were disturbed by what they saw.
联合国难民机构直到现在才能进入该地区。难民机构发言人斯平德勒说，最近冒险进入该地区去评估局势的救援人员看到的景象触目惊心。
"There is still a great deal of fear among the people currently residing in these villages," he said. "Beatings, looting and arson by marauding militias have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity."
“住在这些村庄里的居民都胆颤心惊。这些民兵盗匪在村落里打人、抢劫和纵火，制造了恐慌不安的气氛。”
"The destruction of buildings and houses is not as widespread as was initially feared and varies from village to village. In Karaleti, for example, our team counted 29 houses destroyed, out of some 600. In Kitsnisi, only a few buildings have been burned or bombed, while more material and psychological damage has been caused by lootings and destruction inside people's houses," he added.
“然而建筑物和住房的破坏并不像原先担心的那样广泛，而且各个村庄的情况都有所不同。例如，在卡拉勒梯，根据我们小组的点算，在大约六百栋房屋里有二十九栋房屋被毁。在基茨尼西，只有几栋房屋被烧毁或者炸毁，然而对人们住所内的抢劫与破坏却带来了更大的物质和精神损伤。”
Spindler says the situation and the needs in the villages north of Gori are similar. He says all of the communities are largely dependent on agriculture for food and income. He says villagers told UNHCR up to 80 percent of this year's harvest is gone.
斯平德勒说，哥里以北地区村落的局势及需求基本相仿。他说，所有的社区多半依靠农业为生。他说，村民告诉联合国难民机构，今年百分之八十以上的收成都报废了。
"This is due to restricted irrigation water coming mostly from South Ossetia and the fact that during the hostilities heavy military equipment passed through many fields damaging the crops," said Spindler.
斯平德勒说：“这是因为有限的灌溉用水多半来自南奥塞梯，而且在冲突期间重型军用设备碾过许多农田，毁坏了庄稼。”
"In addition, there are still a lot of mines and unexploded ordnance littering the fields and gardens, preventing people from collecting the harvest. As the local gas pipeline is not functioning any longer, the villagers now rely on firewood, both for cooking and heating. As a result, the price of firewood has risen by 50 percent," he continued.
“此外， 还有许多地雷以及尚未爆炸的炮弹四处散落在田野菜园里，使得人们不敢前去收农作物。因为当地的天然气管道不再运作，村民都依靠柴禾煮饭取暖。结果柴禾的价格上涨了百分之五十。”
Spindler says the UNHCR plans to conduct regular assessment missions to the buffer zone and to provide aid to the inhabitants. Since the situation has calmed down, he says a number of people who had previously fled have now returned to their homes.
斯平德勒说，联合国难民事务高级专员公署打算在该缓冲区开展常规的评估工作，并且向当地居民提供援助。他说，自从形势平定以来，许多原来逃离的人都已经返回家园。
Based on first assessments, he says returnees to the villages in the buffer zone need rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance as many of their homes have been burned down or otherwise damaged. He says they also will need supplementary food and firewood.
他说，根据初步的估计，返回缓冲区的村民需要得到重新恢复和重建的援助，因为他们的住房有许多已经被烧毁或者遭到破坏。他说，他们还将需要得到食品和柴禾的补给。 |