2007年VOA标准英语-Rwanda Fears Spillover of DRC Conflict

By Noel King
Kigali
07 September 2007

Rwanda's special envoy¹ to the Great Lakes region says a recent upsurge of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo poses a threat to Rwandan security. He also dismisses charges by the United Nations that Rwanda is arming Congolese rebels responsible for the violence. Noel King has this report from Kigali.

 

Women and children after they fled their homes in fear due to fighting between the regular army and renegade troops in the DRC region of North Kivu, 03 Sep 2007

As the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo heats up, Rwandan Ambassador Richard Sezibera says his country's main concern is that instability in the Congo could allow Rwandan Hutu militias² there to return to Rwanda and wreak³ havoc⁴.

 

Hutu militias were primarily responsible for the deaths of an estimated 800,000 ethnic⁵ Tutsis and moderate Hutus during Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

 

Following the genocide, the militias fled to Congo, outraging⁶ many Rwandans who wanted them tried for war crimes.

 

Ambassador Sezibera told VOA that chaos⁷ in the Congo may allow the militias, formerly⁸ known as interahamwe but now calling themselves members of the Democratic Force for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, to regroup and re-enter Rwanda.

 

"It poses a threat to Rwandan security in as much as it gives a chance for the ex-interhamwe to either rearm and retrain, or get more equipment for launching their attacks against Rwanda," said Sezibera.

 

At the center of the recent storm of violence in eastern Congo is a former general in the Congolese Army, Laurent Nkunda.

 

Nkunda, a Congolese Tutsi, says he is simply trying to protect Tutsis from Hutu militias in Congo's vast eastern province.

 

According to news reports, the United Nations has accused Rwanda of providing arms to Nkunda's forces.

 

Ambassador Sezibera dismissed the claims and questioned the U.N.'s ability to keep peace in the region.

 

"The United Nations has over 3,800 troops in north Kivu alone," he said. "And if they can't keep the peace there, then what are they there for? Rwanda's interest in that area is the presence of the ex-interahamwe who occupy territory, who control land, who control airspace, who attack local Congolese civilians¹⁰, who maim¹¹, rape¹² and kill Congolese women."

On Thursday, the United Nations Mission in the Congo reported that Nkunda's forces and the Congolese army had agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire in the town of Sake, at the center of the fighting in North Kivu province.

 

Reuters reported early Friday that Nkunda says the Congolese army has broken the ceasefire, attacking his positions in the town of Rutsharu.

 

The world body and international aid organizations have warned of massive civilian⁹ displacement¹³ in eastern Congo as a result of the fighting.

 

Some 200,000 people have fled fighting in the region this year.

 

Rwanda has twice invaded Congo to track down Hutu insurgents¹⁴, but officials here say, at present, the conflict in Congo is a Congolese problem.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 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

3 wreak   

v.发泄；报复

参考例句：

• She had a burning desire to wreak revenge.她复仇心切。
• Timid people always wreak their peevishness on the gentle.怯懦的人总是把满腹牢骚向温和的人发泄。

4 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

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 outraging   

引起…的义愤，激怒( outrage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

7 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

8 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

9 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

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。

11 maim   

v.使残废，使不能工作，使伤残

参考例句：

• Automobile accidents maim many people each year. 汽车车祸每年使许多人残废。
• These people kill and maim innocent civilians.这些人杀死和残害无辜平民。

12 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

13 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

14 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