2007年VOA标准英语-Chad Rebels Cautiously Await EU Peacekeepers

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
20 September 2007

As France considers how many troops it will send to a year-long EU-U.N. peacekeeping operation on the borders shared by Sudan and its neighbors, Chad rebels are wary¹ the peacekeepers will support President Idriss Deby in the low-intensity war both sides have fought for years.  Phuong Tran has more from VOA's West and Central African Bureau in Dakar.

Chad rebel leader Amine Ben Barka with the Alliance for Democratic Change says he is suspicious European peacekeepers can be neutral in the Chad conflict.

The estimated 3,000 mostly French troops are expected to protect, with U.N. support, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese, Chadians and Central Africans seeking refuge in humanitarian² camps in Chad.

Barka says if the EU troops do their job, then the rebels support their participation³, since their presence will also protect the safety of rebels in eastern Chad.

The problem, he says, is if France also militarily supports Chad President Idriss Deby.

Barka says the rebels feel uncomfortable about French troop involvement, because President Deby has had France's open support in past battles with the rebels.

The French government has loaned government forces military support to help fight back rebel attacks in the east.

Barka says the rebels are very worried that European countries will not be neutral in the case of border violence between rebels and government forces.  He adds European leaders have not taken rebel grievances⁴ seriously.

The French government says its troops' mission in Chad will be to protect civilians⁵, especially refugees and displaced persons, and to help humanitarian aid delivery.

For the past few years, various Chad rebel factions⁶ have fought a low-intensity battle against the government, accusing it of human rights abuses, economic neglect and oil-revenue corruption⁷.

The Deby administration has for months negotiated separately with union leaders who called a nationwide strike last May, as well as armed rebels, political opposition⁸, and political leaders in exile.

South-African based analyst⁹ Paul Simon Handy with Institute for Security Studies says unrest from Chad's economic and political problems will lead to more violence after the rainy season ends, allowing fighters to carry out attacks again. 

"There is a real danger that these troops might be caught in the crossfire¹⁰ between warring parties," he said.  "So it will be pretty difficult for these troops to act as neutral actors in this region."

It was only when the United Nations scaled back its role to administration and training, and the French government intervened with an offer of troops on the border, that President Deby accepted foreign peacekeepers to protect the camps.

According to U.N. humanitarian estimates, the camps hold at least 400,000 victims of fighting from Sudan, Chad and Central African Republic where rebels have taken up weapons to demand more power and attention from their governments. 

Chad's humanitarian camps have been the target of border raids, plundering¹¹ and rapes¹².  Less than 250 Chad security troops currently guard the camps.

The United Nations estimates more than two million have fled inter-ethnic fighting that erupted four years ago in Darfur.  It is pushing for a 26,000-member peacekeeping force in Darfur to replace the outmanned 6,000-troop AU force.

1 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

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 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

4 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

7 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。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 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。

10 crossfire   

n.被卷进争端

参考例句：

• They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
• When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。

11 plundering   

掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The troops crossed the country, plundering and looting as they went. 部队经过乡村，一路抢劫掳掠。
• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。

12 rapes   

n.芸苔( rape的名词复数 )；强奸罪；强奸案；肆意损坏v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的第三人称单数 )；强奸

参考例句：

• The man who had committed several rapes was arrested. 那个犯了多起强奸案的男人被抓起来了。 来自辞典例句
• The incidence of reported rapes rose 0.8 percent. 美国联邦调查局还发布了两份特别报告。 来自互联网