VOA常速英语20116--南苏丹内战双方征用童兵

南苏丹内战双方征用童兵

For a while, it looked like the two and a half-year-old civil war in South Sudan might finally be over. In August of last year, both Salva Kiir and Riek Machar signed a peace agreement to end the conflict, the terms of which confirmed Salva Kiir as President and returned Riek Machar to government as the First Vice¹ President.

But just months after Riek Machar returned to South Sudan to resume his vice-presidential duties, violence resumed and Machar fled.

One of the most heinous² aspects of South Sudan's civil war is the forced conscription of child soldiers—children younger than 18, with far too many under the age of 15. According to UNICEF, the United Nations' children's agency, since South Sudan's civil war began in December 2013, over 16,000 children have been recruited into armed groups on both sides.

UNICEF has reported on the recruitment of child soldiers since the July 7 outbreak of violence. Both sides are using various methods, including coercion³ and blackmail⁴, to force parents to surrender their children to them.

The United States is profoundly alarmed by the UNICEF report. “Above and beyond our calls for an end to ongoing⁵ violence in South Sudan, we insist on an immediate⁶ halt to the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers by government and opposition⁷ forces. Individuals responsible for the unlawful recruitment or use of child soldiers for armed groups or forces may be subject to sanction under U.S. law and may be targeted for UN sanctions,” said State Department Spokesman John Kirby in a written statement.

 

“The continued unlawful recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in South Sudan is unacceptable. Eliminating the unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers for armed groups in South Sudan is a leading priority of the United States. We remain committed to securing accountability for those who recruit and use children as soldiers.”

曾几何时，持续了两年半的南苏丹内战看似终于归于平静了。去年8月，萨尔瓦与马查签订和平协议，以结束冲突状态。协议明示，萨尔瓦为南苏丹总统，马查归位第一副总统之位。

但就在马擦返回南苏丹继续其副总统职位的短短几个月后，暴力事件再次上演，马查逃离南苏丹。

南苏丹内战最恶劣的一个方面就是强迫征用童兵。所谓童兵，是指小于18岁的孩子。而就南苏丹更甚之，相当一部分孩子还不到15岁。联合国儿童基金会（UNICEF）数据显示，自从南苏丹内战于2013年12月爆发以来，超过1.6万名儿童分别被内战双方征用入伍。

据联合国儿童基金会报道，自7月份爆发战乱以来，很多儿童被征兵入伍。征战双方均无所不用其极地强迫家长送孩子入伍，包括强迫和威胁。

“南苏丹今后的征用童兵行为是不可接受的。消除这种情况是美国的首要任务。我们会致力于确保征用童兵的人负责”。

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 heinous   

adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的

参考例句：

• They admitted to the most heinous crimes.他们承认了极其恶劣的罪行。
• I do not want to meet that heinous person.我不想见那个十恶不赦的人。

3 coercion   

n.强制，高压统治

参考例句：

• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions.既不诱供也不逼供。
• He paid the money under coercion.他被迫付钱。

4 blackmail   

n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓

参考例句：

• She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
• The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。