Kenya's opposition leaders have called off a mass rally that had been scheduled for Thursday in Nairobi to protest alleged vote rigging in last week's presidential election. Before the march was called off police used tear gas and water cannons to block protesters from reaching the city center.The cancellation of the march is not likely to calm tribal and ethnic tensions that have fueled the worst unrest the country has seen in decades.
肯尼亚反对党领袖们取消了原定星期四在内罗毕举行的群众集会。这项集会的目的是抗议被指称的上周总统选举舞弊。在集会取消之前，警方以催泪瓦斯和高压水炮阻止抗议群众进入市中心。但是取消集会看来不会使部落和族裔间的紧张局势平静下来。目前肯尼亚出现了几十年来最混乱的局面。
A top official in the opposition Orange Democratic Party (ODP), William Ruto, says the rally was called off because the party and its supporters did not want violence to overshadow the demonstration.
肯尼亚反对党橙色民主党的高级官员鲁托说，取消集会是因为该党和支持他们的群众不愿意让暴力的阴影笼罩他们的示威活动。
Nairobi's normally-congested downtown was nearly deserted in anticipation of expected clashes between protesters and government security forces in nearby Uhuru Park, where the opposition said a million people would gather to express their outrage over the December 27 vote.
由于预料抗议者和政府安全部队将会在乌胡鲁公园附近发生冲突，因此通常拥挤的内罗毕市区变得几乎一片荒凉。反对党说，将有百万民众聚集在那里表达他们对12月27日投票的愤怒。
The government of President Mwai Kibaki banned the rally earlier this week and vowed to crack down on anyone threatening law and order. Even before dawn on Thursday, hundreds of paramilitary soldiers and baton-wielding riot police began arriving to form a human cordon around the public park.
肯尼亚总统齐贝吉的政府本周早些时候下令禁止了这次集会，并且誓言要镇压任何威胁法律和秩序的行为。甚至在星期四天亮之前，数百名准军事人员和挥舞着警棍的防暴警察开始包围公园，在公园四周设置警戒圈。
Smaller groups of riot police were also deployed near opposition strongholds in the city to prevent supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga from making their way to the downtown area. Odinga lost the election to Mr. Kibaki by a narrow margin in the disputed vote.
小规模的防暴警察部队部署在反对派在市内的据点，以防止反对派领袖奥廷加的支持者进入市中心。奥廷加在这次引起争议的选举中以微小的差距败给齐贝吉总统。
But the heavy police presence failed to deter thousands of Raila Odinga supporters from trying to attend the anti-government rally.
但是，强大的警力仍然无法吓阻成千上万奥廷加的支持者参与反政府集会的努力。
Protesters poured out of Nairobi's sprawling Kibera slum and other shanty towns, shouting that if the government wanted to stop the week-long post-election violence, which has killed more than 300 people in Kenya and has displaced as many as 100,000 others, President Kibaki must resign.
抗议人群从内罗毕破落的基贝拉贫民窟以及其它贫困城镇蜂拥而至。他们高呼，如果政府想制止长达一周的暴乱，齐贝吉总统就必需辞职。这次暴乱导致三百多人死亡，多达十万人离乡背井。
"No Raila, no peace! No Raila, no peace! And we are ready to die, especially the youths," said one protester. "We are ready to die! Kibaki must go!"
抗议群众高呼：“没有奥廷加就没有和平！没有奥廷加就没有和平！我们不怕死！特别是我们年青人。齐贝吉必须下台！”
Police immediately responded with force, firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds. Near Kibera slum, VOA was present when a truckload of about 60 riot police arrived and fired live rounds at a large group that had gathered by the road.
警方立即付诸武力，他们用催泪瓦斯和高压水炮驱散人群。在基伯拉贫民窟附近，美国之音记者亲眼目睹一辆载有大约60名防暴警察的卡车抵达那里，警察然后向聚集在路旁的群众射击。
Running away from the mayhem, Johana Owoth, 25, a member of Mr. Odinga's Luo tribe, accused Mr. Kibaki's government of using force to silence and oppress Kenyans who are not from the president's ethnic Kikukyu tribe, which has long dominated the country's politics and business.
25岁的青年奥沃斯在混乱中奔逃，他指责齐贝吉政府使用武力压制不属于齐贝吉总统的基库尤部族的人。这位青年属于奥廷加的卢奥部族，齐贝吉总统的基库尤部落长期控制着肯尼亚的政治和商业。
"What violence is going on right now? We are peacefully demonstrating while they are throwing tear gas and bullets," he said. "The government is not sensitive to the cries of Kenyans."
奥沃斯说：“究竟谁在使用暴力？我们在进行和平示威，而他们发射催泪瓦斯和枪弹。这个政府不认真对待肯尼亚人民的呼声。”
Amid international calls for reconciliation, South African Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu flew to Nairobi and held talks with Raila Odinga. Details of the meeting are not yet known.
在国际社会发出的和解呼声中，南非的诺贝尔和平奖得主德斯蒙德.图图飞往内罗毕，和奥廷加举行了会谈。目前还不知道这次会谈的内容。
Odinga says he would accept international mediation. To stem the political crisis, he also proposes setting up a power-sharing government to prepare for fresh elections.
奥廷加说，他愿意接受国际调解。为了解除这场政治危机，他建议组成权力分享政府，以准备新的选举。 |