VOA常速英语2007年-Some Congolese Go Hungry as Fighting Causes Spi

By Noel King
Goma, DRC
22 November 2007

Food prices are skyrocketing in eastern Congo's volatile¹ North Kivu province as Laurent Nkunda's rebels and the Congolese army engage in what aid workers and the United Nations are calling a "game" of stopping and taxing commercial traffic or turning it back altogether. U.N. agencies say the situation can potentially affect 3.5 million people in North Kivu; and Congolese women say they are now struggling to feed their families.

 

Humanitarian² aid workers say dissident Congolese General Laurent Nkunda's rebel National Congress for the People's Defense³, known as the CNDP, and the Congolese armed forces, called the FARDC, are responsible for rising prices.

 

Louis Vigneault, a spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination⁴ of Humanitarian Affairs in Goma, told VOA roadblocks have been set up around Masisi, the agricultural capital of North Kivu.

 

"FARDC and CNDP are sort of playing a game right now in Masisi of blocking each other's commercial traffic. So they're blocking all imports of salt, oil, basic manufactured goods in Masisi and at the same time they're blocking all exports of farming products like bananas," he said.

 

U.N. officials say rising food prices are not affecting North Kivu's 370,000 internally displaced people, who receive food from U.N. agencies.

 

But they say an estimated three million people who have not been displaced from their homes may be affected⁵ by rising food prices.

 

The problem is particularly severe for thousands of already impoverished⁶ Congolese women, who are now finding it harder to feed their families.

 

Mukobo Ajani, who sells potatoes in Goma's central market, says the trucks are always stopped in the road now by Laurent Nkunda's troops. She had to raise the price of potatoes because sometimes she can not get through at all. She says people will not even buy potatoes anymore and they call her a thief.

 

Janine Maombi, another Congolese woman and is an unemployed⁷ widow, says she came to buy potatoes but the price is too high. She has six children and can not afford to buy them dinner tonight.

 

Humanitarian aid workers say tension is growing between Goma's population of 160,000 and some 30,000 displaced people on the outskirts⁸ of Goma who are receiving food from U.N. agencies.

 

North Kivu has been plagued by insecurity since Nkunda launched his rebellion late last year.

 

The dissident general says he is trying to protect Congo's Tutsi population from attacks by Rwandan Hutu rebels who flooded into Congo following the Rwandan genocide.

 

Analysts⁹ and observers say Nkunda is also protecting the economic and political interests of a select group of wealthy Congolese Tutsis.

1 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 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。

4 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

8 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。