VOA常速英语2007-American Missionary Kidnapped in Northern Chad

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
19 October 2007

U.S. embassy officials say they have requested assistance from Chad's government in gaining to the release of an American humanitarian¹ worker being held by rebels in the north. The rebels accuse him of spying for Chad's government.  Naomi Schwarz has more from Dakar.

American Embassy Public Affairs Officer Solomon Atayi says the embassy is awaiting a response from Chad's government.

"The American embassy has contacted the Chadian government and we are in touch with the government right now and have requested their assistance in resolving the situation," he said.

A government official said negotiations² with the rebel group are already under way.

Steve Goldbold, an American evangelical missionary³, was seized by rebels from the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad earlier this month. He was in the region working on a well-digging development project funded by the American embassy.

He is being held in Zoumri, in the mountainous Tibesti region in Chad's far north.

Chad's eastern and northern regions have been embroiled⁴ in conflict.  Ethnic⁵ conflicts, multiple rebel groups, and spillover from Sudan's Darfur conflict, have left the region in turmoil⁶.

The Movement for Democracy and Justice launched an armed insurgency⁷ in 1998 led by President Idriss Deby's former defense⁸ chief, Youssouf Togoimi. Togoimi was killed by a landmine⁹ in 2002. The rebel group signed a peace deal with the government in 2005, but splinter groups have refused to sign it.

They have accused Goldbold of being a spy for Chad's government. Atayi says this is untrue.

"All we know is that he is a humanitarian," he added.  "He worked for a humanitarian organization."

Annette Rehrl, a humanitarian worker in eastern Chad, says aid workers need to be especially careful in conflict zones.

"If you are working in a conflict environment then you always need to be extremely careful not to caught in between lines because it is enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong momentm," she noted¹⁰.

She says Chad's government has expressed support for humanitarian workers there, and she has not experienced problems with the local community.

The past week has seen an upsurge in violence in Chad, particularly in the eastern border region near Sudan. The situation had been relatively¹¹ calm during the month-long Islamic holiday of Ramadan.

On Tuesday, the government declared state of emergency in three regions in the east and north. A total of 3,000 European Union peacekeepers are set to arrive next month.

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

4 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

7 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 landmine   

n.地雷

参考例句：

• A landmine is a kind of weapon used in war.地雷是一种运用于战争的武器。
• The treaty bans the use,production and trade of landmine.那条约禁止使用生产和交易雷。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。