2006年VOA标准英语-Chad Rebel Offensives Threaten to Topple P

By Joe Bavier
Abidjan
12 April 2006

Rebels in eastern Chad have stepped up their campaign to overthrow¹ President Idriss Deby, leading a week of attacks that have raised concerns among aid organizations.  With less than a month to go before presidential elections the opposition² has promised to boycott³, experts say the country is entering a dangerous period.

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Embassies in Ndjamena are on high alert, and government forces are reinforcing security in the capital as fighting between the army and rebels creeps closer to the Chadian capital.

The latest wave of attacks by the rebel United Front for Change, began Sunday, says Chadian journalist Evariste Ngaralbaye.

He noted⁴ that the rebels launched offensives in the southeast of Chad and since Tuesday, there have been attacks in the center of the country around 400 kilometers to the south of the capital, Ndjamena.

 
Idriss Deby 
  
Front leaders have vowed⁵ to take the capital and topple President Deby before a presidential election set for early May.

Journalist Ngaralbaye adds that Chadians in Ndjamena are worried, both for the overall security situation and the possible impact on the election.

"We are all waiting to see if the government forces will get the upper hand, waiting to see if the elections will actually take place at all," he said.

Until now, fighting had been largely confined to a lawless area along Chad's border with Sudan.  The government claims rebels launched attacks from bases within Sudan's western Darfur province.

But this week's attacks mark an increase in the level of fighting between government forces loyal to the president and the rebels who have been fighting to overthrow him since late last year.

The lack of security in the countryside, says a Chad expert with the U.K.-based analysis firm Oxford⁶ Analytica, Richard Barltrop is not the only obstacle to elections.  The major opposition parties have vowed to boycott the vote.

"Its possible that the elections would be carried out," he said.  "But if the elections were to go ahead, then they would almost certainly be judged unsatisfactory by properly independent monitors."

But Barltrop says the polls are likely to be postponed⁷, as the rapid deterioration⁸ of the security situation in Chad has forced President Deby to face the more serious problem of his political survival.

"The range of scenarios¹⁰ that were on the table for Chad were, firstly, the possible collapse¹¹ or overthrow of the government by rebel groups," he added.  "Secondly¹², a continuation of the status quo.  And the third scenario⁹ is, what you could say, stabilization¹³ and improvement in the situation.  With these latest developments, you can put that third scenario off the table.  You can forget about it."

And Barltrop says even maintaining a status quo where Mr. Deby retains power with minor¹⁴ uprisings in the outlying provinces is becoming more and more difficult as well.

A wave of army desertions gripped Chad last year, creating recruits to several of the rebel groups that now make up the United Front for Change.  President Deby dissolved his elite¹⁵ Republican Guard, but defections to the rebels among high-level officers continued.

"Right at the moment, I would put it at more than 50-50, odds¹⁶ on in favor of the government being toppled," he said.

Chad's government has accused neighboring Sudan of backing the rebels, a charge Khartoum denies.

President Deby came to power at the head of an insurgency¹⁷, which launched a successful bid from Sudan to topple Chad's then-leader, Hissene Habre, in 1990.

1 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

2 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。

3 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

6 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

7 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

8 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

9 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

10 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

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 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

13 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

14 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

15 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

16 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

17 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网