VOA常速英语2008年-Chad Fighting Opens On New Front, Looting Incre

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
03 February 2008

Chadian rebels fighting against the army and President Idriss Deby have attacked an eastern city, while pursuing their assault on N'Djamena. Rebels control parts of the capital, but have been unable to take the presidential palace. Chadian officials say government troops have stopped a rebellion aimed at ousting¹ President Idriss Deby and have driven the rebels out of the capital, N'Djamena. The United Nations Security Council is holding emergency talks on the situation in Chad. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our regional bureau in Dakar.

Chadian authorities accused neighboring Sudan of backing the attack on the eastern city, Adre. Sudanese officials denied this.

Meanwhile, Chadian rebels accused Darfurian rebels of trying to help Mr. Deby's forces in N'Djamena. Chad's army also used helicopters to fire on rebel positions around the presidential palace, which remained under government control.

The more numerous, but less equipped rebels say the government helicopters, flying high above, misfired and hit the main market and civilian² areas rather than rebel targets.

Part of the market was burned down and then looted. State radio was also ransacked³.

Rebels seem to be in control of western parts of the city, but some areas are without any security. There was also a jail breakout.

Residents said there were dozens of dead bodies lying in the streets, while the aid agency Doctors without Borders said hundreds of people, mostly civilians⁴, had sustained bullet wounds.

But both rebels, criss-crossing the city, and government forces, mainly concentrated at the presidential palace, seemed to be running out of ammunition⁵, leading to a lull⁶ in the fighting and allowing evacuations of foreigners by French forces to resume.

The former colonial power France has a permanent military base in Chad.

Hundreds of foreigners like this French family were taken under French military escort to the N'Djamena airport, before being flown to Gabon.

French forces control the airport, but rebels are threatening to attack it.

Mansour Abbas is a spokesman for one of the main rebel groups in the offensive, known as the UFDD.

He says taking the airport would prevent Chadian helicopters from using it to attack rebel positions. He also says French forces are preventing a quick rebel takeover.

French Defense⁷ Minister Herve Morin insisted French forces were there to ensure the security of French nationals.

He says the French military accord with Chad calls on it to help defend the country against foreign aggression⁸, but that these rebels are Chadians.

He also says France decided⁹ to redeploy several Mirage¹⁰ jets to neighboring countries so these would avoid unnecessary damage.

Hundreds of Chadians fled by road into Cameroon, including some members of the Chadian military, according to witnesses.

President Deby is believed to be holed up inside the presidential palace. French officials said they have offered to take him out of the country, but that he has refused.

The armed forces chief of staff was reported killed during fighting Friday, as several of the Sudan-based rebel groups taking part in this assault approached the capital during a lightning advance across the desert.

Mr. Deby has been in power since a coup¹¹ in 1990. The fighting has forced the postponement¹² of a planned peacekeeping force in Chad and the Central African Republic, along the border with Sudan, in a region wracked by conflict.

1 ousting   

驱逐( oust的现在分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• The resulting financial chaos led to the ousting of Bristol-Myers' s boss. 随后引发的财政混乱导致了百时美施贵宝的总裁下台。
• The ousting of the president has drawn widespread criticism across Latin America and the wider world. 洪都拉斯总统被驱逐时间引起拉丁美洲甚至全世界的广泛批评。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 ransacked   

v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺

参考例句：

• The house had been ransacked by burglars. 这房子遭到了盗贼的洗劫。
• The house had been ransacked of all that was worth anything. 屋子里所有值钱的东西都被抢去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 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。

5 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

6 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。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 mirage   

n.海市蜃楼，幻景

参考例句：

• Perhaps we are all just chasing a mirage.也许我们都只是在追逐一个幻想。
• Western liberalism was always a mirage.西方自由主义永远是一座海市蜃楼。

11 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

12 postponement   

n.推迟

参考例句：

• He compounded with his creditors for a postponement of payment. 他与债权人达成协议延期付款。
• Rain caused the postponement of several race-meetings. 几次赛马大会因雨延期。