VOA标准英语2012--Civilians Bear Brunt of Sudan, South Sudan Violence

Civilians¹ Bear Brunt of Sudan, South Sudan Violence

 

A humanitarian² group says unless South Sudan has a sustained period of peace, it will never be able to provide the necessary infrastructure³, healthcare and education for its people. World Relief is calling on the international community to intervene in the growing tensions between South Sudan and Sudan.

World Relief’s Don Golden said South Sudan is dependent on aid agencies for much of its infrastructure. And when tensions with Sudan escalate⁵ to fighting – as is happening along many border areas – civilians bear the brunt.

“Planes begin to fly. Bombs begin to drop. And communities suffer. NGOs like ours are restricted in their access to communities and the nation stays in perpetual emergency,” he said.

Peace is the key

South Sudan has been an independent nation for less than a year, following a referendum last July. Golden, the group’s senior vice-president of Church Engagement, says the country needs a prolonged period of peace.

“You need 5 to 7 to 10 years, especially in a place like South Sudan. It’s not even extreme poverty. Much of South Sudan is absolute poverty. It’s a place where agencies, like World Relief, working with local churches and local communities, need peace so that they can begin to see change. That takes a long time,” he said.

Recent fighting forced World Relief to withdraw 16 staff members from its office in Bentiu, capital of Unity⁴ State. So they’re unable to continue with health care, for example.

Golden said, “It means that supplementary⁶ feeding that we’ve been providing for the most malnourished is suspended. And it could, in effect, lead to, especially children, being more vulnerable and even potentially dying.”

The group’s support for agricultural programs in Unity State has also been suspended.

“There have been cyclical droughts that have been growing because of climate change. This particular part of the world is not immune to that. That means our work with building up the resilience of local subsistence farmers comes to an end. And that particularly has dangerous implications for farmers, for their families, for their communities. Even when it’s not acute malnutrition⁷ - the kind that draws cameras from around the world – it affects the learning capacity of a generation,” he said.

World Relief is calling on the U.S., the United Nations, the African Union and others to ensure war does not resume between north and south. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement had ended decades of conflict that took millions of lives.

The country’s massive oil reserves have made South Sudan of strategic importance for the U.S., China and other countries.

World Relief is owned by the National Association of Evangelicals, a 45,000 member church body.

In related news, the U.N. World Food Program said border fighting has pushed more people into hunger. It says the situation was “already precarious⁸.” It warns more people will be displaced and “fragile livelihoods⁹ disrupted.”

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 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。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

6 supplementary   

adj.补充的，附加的

参考例句：

• There is a supplementary water supply in case the rain supply fails.万一主水源断了，我们另外有供水的地方。
• A supplementary volume has been published containing the index.附有索引的增补卷已经出版。

7 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

8 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

9 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。