VOA常速英语2007年-Dissidents Continue Attacks in DRC

By Selah Hennessy
Goma
13 December 2007

The Congolese army battled with dissident fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for control of the strategically important town Rigari. Rebel fighters, loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda, have won a series of battles against government troops in recent days, after the government launched an offensive last week. Selah Hennessy reports for VOA from Goma.

Rugari stands on the main road about 40 kilometers north of the regional capital, Goma. After dissident soldiers attacked the town, fighting continued throughout the day.

U.N. peacekeeping force in Congo spokeswoman Sylvie Van Den¹ Wildenberg says the town is strategically very important.

"We know that the dissidents want to take this position because by doing that they will block the way for the FARDC [government forces] to protect either Masisi or to protect Rutshuru," she said.

The spokeswoman for the U.N. force known as MONUC says she expects the dissidents' attacks to continue.

"What we observe now, all those kind of guerrilla actions and surprise attacks of strategic position to try to regain² some position - it is probably going to go on for a while," she said.

The Congolese army and rebel forces have clashed in a series of bloody³ conflicts since late August.

 

In the first week of December the army launched a major offensive against the rebels, aimed at ending their insurgency⁴. But after a series of early victories, the national army is now on the defensive⁵. During the past few days the rebels have retaken the positions they initially⁶ lost.

Wildenberg says the losses have dampened morale⁷ within the army and undermined the population's confidence in the army's ability.

"What we are seeing is that the recent set-back of the army has also really broken the trust of the population in the Congolese army, even in MONUC by extension," she said. "They live in fear that the dissidents are going to take Goma, Sake, or other areas of the province."

Elsewhere in eastern Congo, army soldiers deserted⁸ a town called Kitali, after hearing the dissidents were about to make an attack.

Wildenberg says the U.N. force put pressure on the soldiers to return to the town, and they have now partially⁹ re-occupied it.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians¹⁰ have been displaced in Congo since fighting began in August.

1 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

2 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

3 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

4 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

5 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

8 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

9 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

10 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。