VOA标准英语 Prisoners Freed as Rebels Clash With Troops in Easte

As the U.N. Security Council prepared to discuss the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, gunmen attacked the town of Uvira, near the border with Burundi, and a human rights group criticized the Congolese military's actions in its campaign against a Rwandan militia¹ in the region.

In the early morning hours, gunmen attacked the city of Uvira, on Lake Tanganyika, near Congo's border with Burundi. The attackers raided a jail in the town, freeing nearly all of the more than 100 prisoners.

Clashes with government forces left at least nine dead, including six attackers and two soldiers. The situation had reportedly returned to calm by the afternoon.
　
Louis Leonce Muderhwa, listens during the opening of the Congo conference in Nairobi, Kenya (File)

The governor of South Kivu province, Louis Muderhwa, said the attackers belonged to different armed groups operating in the region.

He said the attackers' objective appeared to be to free members of their groups from the prison in Uvira, and that members of the National Liberation Forces, a Burundian rebel group, were involved in the assault. He said that four Burundian citizens were captured.

The U.N.-backed Radio Okapi also reported that members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu militia, were also involved in the attack.

Congolese soldiers have been pursuing the FDLR since mid-January. The initial operation was led by Rwandan troops, who left the country at the end of February.

On Thursday, as the U.N. Security Council was set to discuss the instability in eastern Congo, the New York-based organization Human Rights Watch said that both rebels and government soldiers have targeted civilians² during the operation.

Researcher Anneke Van Woudenberg spoke³ to VOA from London.

"We now know that at least 180 civilians have been killed, most of them by the Rwandan Hutu militias⁴, but also that Congolese army soldiers are themselves, as part of looting sprees killing⁵ people and raping⁶ a lot of women," said Van Woudenberg.

The Congolese military is planning a renewed offensive against the FDLR, which according to Human Rights Watch, has regained⁷ much of the ground it lost during the Rwandan-led operation.

"Now we know that the Congolese army is gearing up for the next phase of its military operation, but they are sending their troops to the front line without salary payment, without logistical support, without food," added Van Woundenberg. "And we are deeply concerned about what that will mean for local populations and what is being done to ensure that people are protected as part of these military operations and not being targeted."

The U.N. peacekeeping force plans to support the upcoming offensive. Human Rights Watch called for the U.N. to increase its efforts to ensure that civilians are not targeted in operations with U.N. involvement.

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 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。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 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

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

7 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。