VOA常速英语2008年-Calm Returns to Cameroon, Burkina Faso Followin

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
29 February 2008

Soldiers patrolled the streets in Cameroon's two main cities Friday, restoring order after the worst violence the oil-producing country has seen in more than 15 years. At least 17 people are believed to have been killed when demonstrations¹ over price hikes and a government proposal to eliminate term limits for the president led to clashes between police and protesters. Naomi Schwarz has more from Dakar.

Local journalist Ronald Meyong says the streets of Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé, are calm on Friday. He says things are back to normal in the markets, stores have re-opened, and government workers are back in their offices.

Meyong says things also calmed down considerably² in Cameroon's main commercial city, Douala. He says there are still pockets of resistance in some neighborhoods in Douala, but the army and security forces are working to subdue³ any remaining protests.

On Wednesday, Cameroon President Paul Biya went on state television to say he would use "all legal means" to restore order.

He sent soldiers to patrol the streets and reinforce police who had been clashing with protesters since Saturday.

But protesters were angered by the speech, and the unrest spread to at least two more western towns on Thursday. Protesters said Mr. Biya failed to address the problems: higher fuel and food prices, and anger over a proposed amendment⁴ to the constitution to eliminate term limits for president and allow Mr. Biya to stand for office again in 2011. He has been president for more than 25 years.

In Burkina Faso, similar demonstrations over the rising prices of basic necessities also led to clashes between police and protesters. There, too, order had been restored Friday.

Analyst⁵ for British-based Chatham House research institute, Daniel Balint-Kurti, says Burkina Faso and Cameroon share more than just rising costs of living.

"They are both ex-French colonies, they both have presidents who have been in power for an awful long time, both of those presidents have been backed by France," he said. "Neither of them are democratic leaders."

Mr. Biya, formerly⁶ the prime minister, became president in 1982 after the then-president resigned. Burkina Faso's president, Blaise Campaore, became president in a 1987 coup⁷. Both have since stood for and won re-election.

Both Burkina Faso and Cameroon have been fairly stable in recent decades, despite unrest in many of their neighbors.

But Balint-Kurti says he worries greater unrest is in store for Cameroon, if the government does not begin to address its people's concerns.

"The trouble is that when there is no democracy, when people feel that power is monopolized⁸ by a certain clique⁹, often by a certain ethnic¹⁰ group, then you just store up rancor," he said. "And one day, that explodes. You can keep things stable for 10, 20 years, but it does not mean in the long term you are solving any of the country's problems.

He says the proposed elimination¹¹ of term limits is an issue that has proved volatile¹² in African countries in the past.

1 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

2 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

3 subdue   

vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制

参考例句：

• She tried to subdue her anger.她尽力压制自己的怒火。
• He forced himself to subdue and overcome his fears.他强迫自己克制并战胜恐惧心理。

4 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

7 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。

8 monopolized   

v.垄断( monopolize的过去式和过去分词 )；独占；专卖；专营

参考例句：

• Men traditionally monopolized jobs in the printing industry. 在传统上，男人包揽了印刷行业中的所有工作。
• The oil combine monopolized the fuel sales of the country. 这家石油联合企业垄断了这个国家的原油销售。 来自互联网

9 clique   

n.朋党派系，小集团

参考例句：

• The reactionary ruling clique was torn by internal strife.反动统治集团内部勾心斗角，四分五裂。
• If the renegade clique of that country were in power,it would have meant serious disaster for the people.如果那个国家的叛徒集团一得势，人民就要遭殃。

10 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。

11 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

12 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。