VOA常速英语2007年-Fighting Forces UN to Halt Aid Delivery in Cong

By Noel King
Kigali
04 December 2007

Fighting between forces loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese Army has forced the U.N. World Food program to suspend the delivery of food aid to between 250,000 and 300,000 vulnerable people. Noel King has more in this report from Kigali.

 

Renewed fighting has dealt a sharp blow to aid operations in Congo's volatile¹ North Kivu province, where at least 400,000 people have fled their homes since late last year.

 

WFP officials say they hope to resume operations soon.

 

Aya Shneerson, the director of the World Food Program in North and South Kivu Province spoke² to VOA by phone.

 

"It is just too unsafe for our staff to get out and deliver food. We are hoping that can be reevaluated and looked at on a daily basis," Shneerson said. "If the conflict intensifies³, people will need us even more, not less."

 

Shneerson said the World Food Program will remain in the North Kivu capital of Goma until the situation calms down.

 

Fighting resumed this weekend when rebels attacked the army garrison⁴ town of Nyanzale. The army struck back, attacking the rebel stronghold of Mushake on Monday.

 

Clashes between rebels and the armed forces are sporadic⁵ and unpredictable, severely⁶ hindering the delivery of aid.

 

"We were registering displaced people in Nyanzale when it was attacked," explained Shneereson. "Even our partners, who were on the spot registering, had to flee. The situation is so fluid, it changes on a daily basis."

 

The U.N. Mission in Congo said the armed forces are continuing to battle insurgents⁷. Congolese army officials were not available to comment.

 

The United States has urged Nkunda to surrender and go into exile to avoid further bloodshed.

 

The rebel general says he is trying to protect eastern Congo's minority Tutsi population from attacks by Hutu militias⁹ known as the Democratic Force for the Liberation of Rwanda. The militia⁸ has ties to the perpetrators of neighboring Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

 

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, next week, to discuss conflicts in Congo, Somalia and Sudan.

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 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 garrison   

n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防

参考例句：

• The troops came to the relief of the besieged garrison.军队来援救被围的守备军。
• The German was moving to stiffen up the garrison in Sicily.德军正在加强西西里守军之力量。

5 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

8 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

9 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网