VOA常速英语2007-Chad President, Rebels to Sign Peace Accord in L

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
25 October 2007

Rebel leaders and Chad's president Idriss Deby are in Libya to sign a peace deal in the conflict that has roiled¹ the eastern part of Chad. But Naomi Schwarz reports from Dakar, a recent upsurge in fighting leaves some doubt the accord will bring peace to the region.

One of the signers of the peace deal, from the rebel group the Union of the Forces for Democracy and Fundamental Development, Amine Ben Barka, says this is an important step forward for Chad.

He says the rebels have made concessions² and so has the government, and what is most important is for everyone to respect the terms of the agreement.

He says the problems that led the rebels to resort to violence still exist, but with peace both sides can work together to find solutions.

The rebels have accused the government of human rights abuses, economic neglect and oil-revenue corruption³.

Government spokesmen have expressed optimism the new deal will help bring calm to the troubled area.

Chad's eastern region, along the border with Sudan, has been embroiled⁴ in violence for four years. Rebel groups fighting to topple the government combine with ethnic⁵ clashes and spill over from Sudan's Darfur conflict.

Peace accords have been signed with various rebel groups in the past. This is the most comprehensive in that it includes all four of the main rebel movements.

The text of the agreement has not been made public, but it calls for rebel troops to be integrated into the national army and for rebel leaders to be included in the government.

But many express skepticism the new accord will have real impact on the ground.

After months of relative calm during the rainy season and the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, rebel groups and Chad's government renewed fighting last week.

An analyst⁶ for the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies, Paul Simon Hendy, says these clashes underline the difficulty facing the peace process.

"The current skirmishes in the eastern part of the country are actually between government troops and the troops of a former rebel who is actually the defense⁷ minister now, Mahamat Nour. So actually these troops are supposed not to be rebel troops anymore, but integrated in the national army," he said.

Nour has participated in the Tripoli negotiations⁸. But he has been quoted in Chadian media as saying the accord will only bring partial peace and rebels will continue fighting.

Ethnic violence earlier last week led the government to declare a state of emergency in three regions in the east and north of the country.

Hendy says he fears Mr. Deby is merely biding⁹ his time until international peacekeepers arrive. He says a peacekeeping force will probably serve to consolidate¹⁰ Mr. Deby's power.

Three-thousand EU peacekeepers are expected to arrive within a few weeks. The force leader, Patrick Nash has said they will be well-armed and mobile in order to fulfill¹¹ their mission of safe-guarding refugees, civilians¹² and aid workers in the region.

1 roiled   

v.搅混（液体）( roil的过去式和过去分词 )；使烦恼；使不安；使生气

参考例句：

• American society is being roiled by the controversy over homosexual marriage. 当今美国社会正被有关同性恋婚姻的争论搞得不得安宁。 来自互联网
• In the past few months, instability has roiled Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas. 在过去的几个月里，西藏和藏人居住区不稳定。 来自互联网

2 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 biding   

v.等待，停留( bide的现在分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待；面临

参考例句：

• He was biding his time. 他正在等待时机。 来自辞典例句
• Applications:used in carbide alloy, diamond tools, biding admixture, high-temperature alloy, rechargeable cell. 用作硬质合金，磁性材料，金刚石工具，高温合金，可充电池等。 来自互联网

10 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

11 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

12 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。