2007年VOA标准英语-Tensions Flare in Eastern Congo Amid Ongoing Cl

By Noel King
Kigali
25 September 2007

Tensions are growing in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, amid ongoing¹ clashes between forces loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese army. But a United Nations military spokesman said Tuesday that a ceasefire in the region was still effective.

 Sporadic clashes erupted on Monday in three locations, persisting in Ngungu locale on Tuesday.

The clashes pose a threat to a U.N.-brokered ceasefire which has held for three weeks.

U.N. spokesman Gabriel de Brosses says the U.N. is monitoring the situation closely and has troops in the region. "We made air reconnaissance over the areas that were at stake yesterday. Basically, I think the ceasefire is still effective," he said.

De Brosses says forces loyal to former General Laurent Nkunda, are responsible for Monday's eruption² of violence.

A spokesman for Nkunda on Monday accused the Congolese armed forces, known as the FRDC, of attacking first.

De Brosses dismissed that claim. "For the moment, the FRDC troops don't have any reason for attacking anyone," he said.

The U.N. said there were no reports yet on casualties during the fighting.

De Brosses told VOA that Nkunda's forces also clashed with Hutu militias³ in the region, in a separate incident on Monday.

Nkunda claims he is trying to protect eastern Congo 's ethnic⁴ Tutsi population from attacks by Hutu militias, who have ties to the perpetrators of neighboring Rwanda 's 1994 genocide.

The Congolese government calls Nkunda a renegade, and has urged him to integrate his forces into the regular army.

Congo's President Joseph Kabila said last week that he will not negotiate with Nkunda at this time.

Fighting erupted in the region after Nkunda's forces attacked government positions in late August.

Eastern Congo has long been a cauldron of simmering tensions as militias, often allied⁵ along ethnic lines, fought for control of territory in the resource-rich region.

The UN and aid groups note that women and children bear the brunt of the fighting.

Rape⁶ and recruitment of children into armed groups are endemic in the area.

A 1998-2003 war in eastern Congo embroiled⁷ the region, pulling in seven neighboring nations and costing an estimated 4 million lives, mostly from hunger and disease.

In recent weeks the U.N. has said it fears a deepening humanitarian⁸ crisis, and estimates some 300,000 people have fled their homes in the region this year.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

3 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

4 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。

5 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

6 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。

7 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。