VOA标准英语2008年-UNHCR Suspending Operations in Eastern DRC

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
07 June 2008

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says it is suspending operations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo following a deadly attack by rebels on a makeshift camp in the Rutshuru area of North Kivu province. The raid on Kinyandoni camp left at least nine people dead and scores wounded. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.
　

A child sits on the ground under an aid agency banner in a camp for displaced people 85km north of Goma, DRC, 5 June 2008

The camp shelters some 5,000 internally displaced people. UN officials blame the murderous attack on the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.

They say several armed men stormed the camp, stealing mobile telephones and cash. As they left, witnesses say the rebels started shooting indiscriminately at people in the camp, including a group of children who were playing.

A spokesman for the UN refugee agency, Andrej Mahecic, tells VOA the Congolese army drove the attackers out of the camp, but two children who were shot later died.

"UNHCR is shocked and alarmed by the fact that the displaced people who had already been victims of the fighting throughout 2007 were targeted in this way and there is definitely a need for lasting¹ peace in North Kivu," he said. "There are hundreds of thousands of displaced people in need of shelter, in need of protection and in need of solution."

The UNHCR reports an estimated 860,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in North Kivu. The agency and its partners are managing sites sheltering around 80,000 of the internally displaced.

In January, the government and a number of Congolese rival groups signed a peace accord. But, it has been breached² on several occasions.

Mahecic says the area remains³ volatile⁴ and, as seen this week, new eruptions⁵ of violence remain a constant threat. Because of the attack on the camp, he says the UNHCR is suspending its operations in the Rutshuru area.

He says all other humanitarian⁶ aid agencies also have decided⁷ to pull out of the area, which is located about 70 kilometers north of Goma.

"This is just a temporary situation until there is at least some resemblance of stability and some resemblance of the basic security that we can send the staff back," he added. "You have to understand that UNHCR staff and the workers, in fact, some of the government officials were in the makeshift site as the rebel attack took place."

Mahecic says, fortunately, none of the aid workers were hurt during the attack. But, he notes they remain frightened and will not return until security improves. Unfortunately, he says the internally displaced, who suffered the brunt of the attack, have to remain in the camp where the situation remains fragile.

1 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

2 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

5 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。