VOA慢速英语:UN Appeals for Famine Aid for Somalia

This week, the United Nations declared a famine in parts of Somalia. A famine is declared when three conditions are reached. Hunger rates among children rise above thirty percent. More than two people in every one hundred thousand die each day. And many people are unable to get food and other basic needs.
本周，联合国宣布索马里部分地区陷入饥荒。宣布陷入饥荒需要具备三个条件。儿童的饥饿率上升到30%以上。每天十万人中超过2人死亡。许多人难以获得食品和其他基本需求。

Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, made the announcement Wednesday in Nairobi, Kenya.
联合国驻索马里人道主义协调员Mark Bowden周三在肯尼亚的内罗毕宣布了该决定。

MARK BOWDEN: "We estimate that almost half of the Somali population, 3.7 million people, are affected by this crisis and a full 2.8 million people live in the south, the most seriously affected area. It is likely that tens of thousands will already have died, the majority of these being children.”
Mark Bowden：“我们估计占索马里人口近一半的370万人受到此次危机的影响。其中280万人生活在受饥荒影响最为严重的南部地区。可能已经有1%的人口死亡，其中大部分是儿童。”

The United Nations says a lack of rain over the past few years has created a famine in two areas in southern Somalia: Bakool and Lower Shabelle. Officials say the famine could spread to other areas.
联合国称，过去几年雨水不足导致索马里南部两个地方的饥荒：巴利勒(Bakool)和下谢贝利(Lower Shabelle)。官员称，这次饥荒可能会蔓延到其他地区。

This is the first time since nineteen ninety-one that the UN has declared a famine in Somalia. The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in sixty years. UN officials have said more than eleven million people are in need of food aid.
这是自1991年以来，联合国首次宣布索马里陷入饥荒。“非洲之角”正经历六十年来最严重的干旱。联合国官员表示，超过1100万人口急需粮食援助。

VOA asked Mark Bowden if the organization could have done more to prevent the crisis.
VOA向Mark Bowden询问，该组织能否采取更多措施来防止危机的蔓延。

MARK BOWDEN: “We had been hoping to avoid famine, we spent a lot of our resources that we had at the beginning of the year specifically to help those communities that we thought might migrate, to stop migrations, which is one of the major causes of death. We spent our money, we didn't have enough to scale up as we now need to.”
Mark Bowden：“我们一直希望能够避免陷入饥荒，今年年初我们投入了我们很多资源，专门帮助那些我们认为可能会迁徙的人群停止迁徙。迁徙是死亡的主要原因之一。我们花钱于此，但我们没有足够资金来完成我们现在急需的扩大规模。”

Now, the United Nations is appealing for three hundred million dollars in the next two months. Officials say much of that will be used to supply existing feeding centers and to provide medical services. The money will also be used to support local economies and farmers.
现在，联合国呼吁国际社会在未来两个月捐款3亿美元。官员称，其中大部分将用于为现在的救助中心提供补给和医疗服务。这笔资金还将用于支持当地经济和农民。

Luca Alinovi is head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization for Somalia. He says the objective is to keep people from fleeing the affected areas.
Luca Alinovi是联合国粮农组织驻索马里负责人。他称，他们的目标是防止难民逃离受影响地区。

LUCA ALINOVI: “The only way to prevent people moving out is to make sure that they have hope for the future -- they can make something out of their lives.  How can they do that? They can do that only if they feel that in the next few months they will be in condition to produce their food.”
Luca Alinovi：“防止难民逃离的唯一一个方法就只确保他们对未来还有希望——他们还有办法谋生。他们怎样做到这一点呢？只要他们感到，未来几个月他们有条件种植自己的作物，他们就会留下来。”

Bakool and Lower Shabelle are both under the control of al-Shabab. On Friday the militant group called the UN declaration "propaganda." It also said it will permit increased aid only from foreign agencies currently working in its territory.
巴利勒(Bakool)和下谢贝利(Lower Shabelle)都在青年党的控制之下。周五，该激进组织称联合国的宣布是“宣传手段”。青年党还宣布他们只允许目前在他们的领地内工作的外国机构增加援助。

Al-Shabab is linked to al-Qaida, and the United States has declared it a terrorist organization.
青年党和基地组织（al-Qaida）有关联，美国已宣布其为恐怖组织。

Al-Shabab took control of south-central Somalia a few years ago. Since then, its members have had a hostile relationship with foreign aid groups. Al-Shabab has accused foreign workers of being spies. Militants have kidnapped some workers and killed others. And they have often seized food and other supplies meant for starving Somalis.
几年前，青年党控制了索马里中南部。从那时起，其成员就与国外援助团体产生了敌对关系。青年党指责国外机构工作人员从事间谍行为。武装分子绑架了一些工作人员，并杀害了其他人。而且他们经常掠夺提供给索马里饥饿人口的食物和其他用品。

As a result, many foreign donors have been unwilling to send more aid.
因此，很多国外机构已经不愿意提供更多援助。

Al-Shabab recently ended a ban on airlifts, but a UNICEF spokeswoman, Shantha Bloemen, says there are no guarantees. On Wednesday, the UN children's agency airlifted five tons of supplies to the town of Baidoa in Lower Shabelle. The supplies included food, medicine and water cleaning equipment.
青年党最近取消了对空运物资的禁令，但是联合国儿童基金会女发言人Shantha Bloemen表示，目前仍然没有保障。周三，联合国儿童基金会向下谢贝利的Baidoa镇空运了5吨补给物资，包括食品，药物和水清洁设备。

Ms. Bloemen says such a large shipment could not have happened without the approval of al-Shabab.
Bloemen女士称，如果没有青年党的允许，如此大批量的物资运送是不可能实现的。

SHANTHA BLOEMEN: "So yes, there was dialogue with local authorities, and obviously they include members of al-Shabab. But the bottom line is that we succeeded in getting those supplies in. Our staff were able to go to the airport and secure the materials and get it out to the people that need it."
SHANTHA BLOEMEN：“所以是的，我们与当地机构进行了对话，很明显包括青年党成员。但是底线是，我们成功地将这些补给物资运送到这些地区。我们的工作人员得以进入机场提取这些物资，并且分发给难民。”

Somalia is a nation of almost ten million people. It has lacked a strong central government since nineteen ninety-one.
索马里是一个人口近千万的国家。自1991年来其一直缺乏一个强大的中央政府。

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.