VOA慢速英语--120万尼日利亚人无法获得人道主义援助

The aid group Doctors Without Borders says the Boko Haram conflict is blocking aid workers from reaching more than 1.2 million Nigerians.

The group reports that the population of northeast Nigeria is victim to all sides in the conflict. The fight has been going on for 11 years.

The Nigerian military says it has the upper hand over the Islamist extremists. But Doctors Without Borders and United Nations agencies say the humanitarian¹ situation is still urgent, especially in Borno state.

Luis Eguiluz has led the agency's work in Nigeria for the past two years. He says the two main Boko Haram groups and the government are restricting movement.

He says people are subject to attacks, kidnappings, abuse and mistreatment. Women and girls are victims of rape² and other forms of sexual assault.

He adds, "We are talking about one of the most or biggest humanitarian crises of the last decades. Seven-point-one million people in need are dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival. They depend upon the most basic needs and services; food, water, health, shelter."

Eguiluz says humanitarian workers still are able to reach the majority of the needy³.

But he told VOA that Doctors Without Borders and other agencies have no access to the 1.2 million people living in areas controlled by Boko Haram.

The United Nations reports these Nigerians live in 22 areas in Borno state.

Eguiluz says the Nigerian army does not permit humanitarian agencies to go to these areas because this would be in violation⁴ of international counterterrorism laws.

He adds, "These counterterrorism laws prevent humanitarian actors to negotiate with all actors, parties in conflict because they are considered terrorists."

Eguiluz notes these laws are preventing access because negotiating with armed groups is considered a crime.

Doctors Without Borders is calling on the Nigerian government to honor international humanitarian law over international counterterrorism laws. Eguiluz says this would enable humanitarian agencies to get access to the 1.2 million Nigerians in serious need of aid.

Words in This Story

access – n. the right or ability to approach, enter, or use

counterterrorism – n. actions by a group, army, etc., that are done to prevent terrorist attacks and destroy terrorist networks

decade – n. a period of 10 years

upper hand – n. mastery; advantage; control

1 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。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

4 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。