VOA标准英语2012--LRA Attacks on the Rise in Central Africa

LRA Attacks on the Rise in Central Africa

 

The Lord’s Resistance Army is stepping up attacks in Central Africa, displacing thousands of people. The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, says LRA attacks have been on the rise since January in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic.

Since the beginning of the year, 33 attacks have occurred in DRC’s northeastern Orientale Province. Some 4,000 people have been displaced. The province borders CAR, Uganda and South Sudan.

UNHCR spokesperson Celine Schmitt says many of the LRA attacks have occurred in March.

“People have been displaced again during the last two weeks. Since the beginning of March, now we have recorded more than 13 attacks against civilians¹ in the DRC’s Orientale Province,” she said.

Too scared to go home

Schmitt is in the province’s Dungu territory, scene of the recent LRA activity. She says at least two people were killed and 13 abducted², including a child. More than 1,100 people have been displaced in the past two weeks alone.

“I met with people. They told me that they had to flee in the middle of the night because of the attacks. The rebels came to the villages. They burned the houses. They looted the houses. And they had to flee in order to avoid being kidnapped, abducted. So they fled towards Dungu. They walked in the middle of the night,” she said.

The displaced are staying with host families and in small displacement³ camps. UNHCR, the World Food Program and other agencies are providing food, shelter and other items.

Schmitt said, “What they are telling us is that they don’t want to go home because they’re scared. So they prefer actually staying in Dungu, staying with families here even though their living conditions are difficult because sometimes you have 20 people sitting in one room in one house.”

Attacks elsewhere

In the Central African Republic, LRA attacks resumed in January after a lull⁴ of nearly a year. Eleven attacks were reported in the southeastern part of the country. Four people were killed and more than 30 abducted.

UNHCR describes the situation in southeastern CAR as extremely fragile. It says the one exception is the city of Obo where U.S. troops have been deployed⁵ since last October. They’re supporting efforts by Uganda and CAR armed forces against LRA rebels.

No LRA attacks have been reported recently in South Sudan. Nevertheless, the UNHCR spokesperson said the country still feels the effects of what’s happening in neighboring countries.

“South Sudan is receiving regularly groups of refugees fleeing LRA attacks in the DRC and CAR. For example, now South Sudan is hosting more than 22,000 refugees from the two countries, including 700 who arrived this year,” she said.

South Sudan is expected soon to host African Union forces as part of the regional effort to eliminate the LRA. The LRA is no longer believed to be a single fighting force, but rather numerous small groups made up of perhaps two or three men. The location of the group’s founder⁶ Joseph Kony remains⁷ unknown.

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 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

3 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。

4 lull   

v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇

参考例句：

• The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes.药物使辛普森安静了30分钟。
• Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.经过两个星期的平静之后，地面战又突然爆发了。

5 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。