VOA常速英语2008年-UN Says Civilians Massacred in Congo Amid Peace

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
21 February 2008

The United Nations Mission in Congo says it has evidence rebels killed around 30 civilians¹ in eastern Congo in an incident in mid-January. The region, a long-standing site of instability in Congo, was then in the midst of peace talks between rebels and the government. Naomi Schwarz has more from VOA's West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar and additional reporting by Eddy² Isango.

U.N. spokesman in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kemal Saiki, says forces led by rebel general Laurent Nkunda brutally³ killed civilians in January.

"We have learned of a very serious incident where about 30 civilians have been killed by CNDP forces on the 16th and the 17th of January," said Saiki.

The killings⁴ occurred in and around Kalonge, around 100 kilometers west of Goma, which is the capital of the conflict-ridden North Kivu province.

The CNDP denies involvement.

The U.N.'s Saiki also accuses the Congolese Army of serious human rights violations⁵.

"We have also information about summary execution this time of civilians also by the members second Congolese Armed Forces Integrated Brigade," he said.

The U.N. says they have positively⁶ identified eight victims, including three children. They say the deaths occurred on January 2 in a village near Goma. The government could not be reached for comment.

Despite the official end of the DRC's civil war in 2003, conflict has raged on in this part of the country. Nearly half-a-million residents fled in 2007 because of ongoing⁷ violence. A ceasefire was agreed to on January 23 by the warring factions⁸, including Nkunda, other rebel militias⁹ and the government.

But fighting has continued. This week nearly 30 were wounded at a military camp in clash between Congolese soldiers and rebel fighters waiting to be integrated into the army.

Saiki says the huma rights violations are typical of the conflict in the region.

"It is unfortunately a continuation of a very sad tradition of human rights violations that we have seen in this part of the Congo for many years now," he said.

In late January, the U.N. Mission reinforced its peacekeeping troops in eastern Congo.

1 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。

2 eddy   

n.漩涡，涡流

参考例句：

• The motor car disappeared in eddy of dust.汽车在一片扬尘的涡流中不见了。
• In Taylor's picture,the eddy is the basic element of turbulence.在泰勒的描述里，旋涡是湍流的基本要素。

3 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

6 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

7 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。

8 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

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