VOA常速英语2017--南苏丹成立6周年 战火依然纷飞

July 11th marked the 6th anniversary of South Sudan's independence. But South Sudan and its people are suffering, the treasury¹ is empty, and so President Salva Kiir cancelled the celebration.

7月11日是南苏丹独立六周年的纪念日。但南苏丹及其人民还在遭受痛苦，国库亏空，所以南苏丹总统取消了庆典。

Although a number of issues have complicated the situation, South Sudan's problems are largely man-made. Much of it can be blamed on South Sudan's leaders, who are unwilling² to set aside personal differences and political ambitions for the good of the country.

虽然很多现实的问题让南苏丹局势变得复杂，但南苏丹的诸多问题大部分都是人祸造成的。这主要归咎于南苏丹的领导人，他们不愿意为了国家的利益而抛开个人分歧和政治抱负。

In one way or another, South Sudan has been the scene of fighting for over half a century. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 ended the Second Civil War that pitted south the Sudanese rebels against the government in Khartoum. The referendum for independence six years later led to the birth of South Sudan, ushering³ in an era of hope and optimism for the war-weary population.

半个多世纪以来，南苏丹一直囿于战火之中。2005年的《全面和平协定》结束了苏丹叛军与苏丹政府军之间的第二次内战。内战六年后的独立公投又孕育了南苏丹，为因战争颠沛流离的人开启了希望与生机的时代。

But peace in the new country lasted less than 18 months. In December 2013, a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and Vice⁴ President Riek Machar erupted into civil war, as the country split along ethnic⁵ lines. A 2015 peace agreement and a transitional government formed in early 2016 failed to end the violence.

但是南苏丹的和平局势仅维持了不到18个月。2013年12月，南苏丹总统萨尔瓦 基尔(Salva Kiir)与副总统里克 马沙尔(Riek Machar)之间的权力之争演变成了内战，国家也分离成了不同的种族派系。即便2015年的和平协定和2016年初成立的过渡政府也没能终结南苏丹的暴力冲突。

The fighting that continues today has led to a collapsing⁶ economy, food insecurity, hunger, malnutrition⁷, and imposed unimaginable violence on South Sudanese. Today, some six million people ― more than half the country's population ― live with extreme food insecurity. Four million have been displaced, the majority of them children. And around 300,000 people, the vast majority of them civilians⁸, have been killed.

冲突直到今天仍在继续，这已经导致经济疲软、粮食危机、饥荒、营养不良和无处诉苦的极端暴力，让南苏丹人民不堪重负。如今，有近600万人——生活在极端的粮食危机中。400万人流离失所，其中大多数都是孩子。冲突导致近30万人被杀，其中绝大多数都是老百姓。

The birth of South Sudan in 2011 was marked by hope for a peaceful and prosperous future, said State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert. We deeply regret that the second chance made possible by the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity⁹ in April 2016 was squandered¹⁰. Following the collapse¹¹ of the permanent ceasefire in July 2016, the armed conflict expanded across the country and the parties to the conflict remain unwilling to return to the negotiating table, she said.

2011年南苏丹的诞生让人们憧憬着和平与繁荣的未来，美国国务院发言人海瑟 诺尔特(Heather Nauert)如是说道。我们深表遗憾，2016年4月民族团结过渡政府的成立带来了第二次机会，但却被浪费。2016年7月，永久停火的希望破灭，武装冲突席卷全国，而冲突的相关方依然不愿意重返谈判桌，海瑟如是说道。

The United States remains¹² deeply committed to a stable and inclusive South Sudan, and stresses once again that there is no military solution to this conflict. On this day meant to celebrate South Sudan's creation, we call upon South Sudan's leaders and all parties to end this self-destructive violence, to return to political dialogue, and to help South Sudan realize its full potential.

美国始终深度致力于南苏丹的稳定与包容，并再次强调，军事行动并不能解决冲突。在南苏丹诞生的这一天，我们呼吁南苏丹领导人和各方停止这种自我毁灭的暴力行为，重返政治对话，助力南苏丹充分实现其潜能。

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

3 ushering   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They were right where the coach-caller was swinging open a coach-door and ushering in two ladies. "他们走到外面时，叫马车的服务员正打开车门，请两位小姐上车。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Immediately the two of them approached others, thanking them, ushering them out one by one. 他们俩马上走到其他人面前，向他们道谢，一个个送走了他们。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 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。

6 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

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 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。

9 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。

10 squandered   

v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He squandered all his money on gambling. 他把自己所有的钱都糟蹋在赌博上了。
• She felt as indignant as if her own money had been squandered. 她心里十分生气，好像是她自己的钱给浪费掉了似的。 来自飘（部分）

11 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

12 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。