2006年VOA标准英语-More Somali Refugees Flee to Kenya

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
19 September 2006

The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) says Somali refugees continue to flee to Kenya.  Since September 13, the UNHCR says more than 3,400 Somalis have fled growing tensions and fighting in their country.

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		A Somali woman at a Dadaab refugee camp in Northern Kenya

The U.N. refugee agency reports more than 600 Somali refugees arrived at the Kenyan border town of Liboi.  They since have been transported to a UNHCR camp at Dadaab.  This follows a similar movement of more than 440 Somali refugees who crossed over the border into Kenya on Friday.

The agency says incidents such as this are becoming more frequent.  Since the beginning of the year, the UNHCR reports more than 26,300 Somalis have sought refuge in Kenya.

Spokesman Ron Redmond says most of the refugees are women and children.  They tell U.N. aid workers they are fleeing rising tensions and fighting between clan¹ based warloards and the Islamic Courts Union militia².

"They report walking from Mogadishu, Kismayo and Baidoa, which is the headquarters of the Transitional Government.  Some claim that they have been personally attacked by armed militia, while others say they fled because their neighbors had been killed and they feared a similar fate," he said.  "People crossing the border generally suffer from extreme fatigue³ an many children appear malnourished.  We fear that the numbers may further increase following militia fighting over the weekend in Dobley, a village 18 kilometers from the Liboi border crossing." 

Redmond says two refugees died on arrival in Kenya, and a wounded man was transported from Liboi health center to Dadaab for treatment.  He says the UNHCR also is afraid the attempt to assassinate⁴ the President of the Somali transitional government in Baidoa Monday may cause more people to flee.  The President escaped the attack by a suicide bomber⁵, but 11 people, including his brother were killed.

Redmond says UNHCR's Africa Bureau director met with refugee representatives in Kenya's Dadaab camp on Saturday.  He says she is in northern Somalia for the next two days to visit internally displaced people and community leaders in Somaliland.

Kenya hosts more than 227,000 refugees, mainly from Somalia and Sudan.

1 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

2 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。

3 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

4 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

5 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。