VOA新闻杂志2024--Cholera Threatens Sudan as Civil War Continues

Cholera¹ is spreading in Sudan as fighting between the military and a paramilitary group goes on past 17 months.

Health officials said the disease has killed at least 388 people and sickened 13,000 in the past two months.

The disease is spreading in areas flooded by recent heavy rainfall. The floods have especially affected² eastern Sudan where millions of people displaced by war are seeking shelter.

On Sunday, the Health Ministry³ said six people had died and about 400 sickened over the weekend. The ministry said the disease has spread to 10 of the country's 18 provinces with the eastern Kassala and al-Qadarif provinces most affected.

Cholera is a bacterial⁴ infection that causes diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration⁵. The World Health Organization says it can lead to death within hours if not treated. The bacteria spread mainly through contaminated water and food.

In 2017, a major outbreak of the disease in Sudan killed 700 people and sickened about 22,000 in less than two months.

Increasing tension between the Sudanese army and the powerful paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open warring in April last year.

The fighting wrecked⁶ the capital, Khartoum, and other urban areas. It has been marked by atrocities⁷ including mass rape⁸ and ethnic⁹ killings¹⁰ that could be considered war crimes and crimes against humanity. The United Nations and international rights groups say this is especially the case in the western area of Darfur, which has a history of violence.

The U.N. said at least 20,000 people have died and tens of thousands have been injured. However, rights groups and activists¹¹ say the numbers are much higher.

The war also created what might be the world's largest displacement¹² crisis at this time. The International Organization for Migration¹³ said more than 13 million people have fled their homes since the fighting began. That number includes over 2.3 million who fled to neighboring countries.

Seasonal¹⁴ floods and cholera have combined to create a major disaster in Sudan. Recent flooding killed at least 225 people and injured about 900 others, the Health Ministry said. The floods destroyed roads, bridges, and other public systems, and destroyed or damaged more than 76,000 houses, the ministry reported.

A group of international experts called the Famine Review Committee said famine had been confirmed in July in the Zamzam camp for displaced people. The camp is about 15 kilometers from North Darfur's capital of al-Fasher. The group said about 25.6 million people - more than half of Sudan's population - could face severe hunger this year.

Fighting is continuing in al-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur that the military still controls. The RSF has been trying to retake it since January.

Last week, the paramilitary force and its allied¹⁵ militias¹⁶ launched a new attack on the city. The military said its forces, aided by rebel groups pushed back the attack and killed hundreds of RSF fighters, including two top commanders.

Words in This Story

paramilitary -adj. an armed group outside a country's military that is not under its command

contaminated -adj. containing harmful, infectious or poisonous substances

atrocity¹⁷ -n. a cruel, violent and shocking action

1 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

5 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。

6 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

7 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 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。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

13 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

14 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

15 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

16 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

17 atrocity   

n.残暴，暴行

参考例句：

• These people are guilty of acts of great atrocity.这些人犯有令人发指的暴行。
• I am shocked by the atrocity of this man's crimes.这个人行凶手段残忍狠毒使我震惊。