VOA常速英语2007-Congo Warlord Awaits ICC Trial

By Selah Hennessy
Dakar
19 October 2007

Analysts² say the transfer of former Congolese warlord Germain Katanga to The Hague is an important step towards ending impunity³ in war-ravaged DR Congo. Katanga was transferred to the International Criminal Court Thursday to face war crimes charges, including leading a 2003 massacre⁴ that killed around 200 villagers in northeast Congo. Selah Hennessy reports from the VOA West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.

Katanga is one of only two suspects who have so far been taken into custody⁵ at the international court.

Fatou Bensouda, deputy prosecutor⁶ at the International Criminal Court, says the court has targeted suspects based on evidence they were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"Between January, for instance, 2002 and December of 2003 more than 8,000 civilians⁷ have died and more than half a million were displaced from their homes in Ituri as a consequence of this conflict," said Bensouda. "And the evidence that we have will show how civilians were the target of massive crimes in the course of the conflict in the Ituri region of the DRC."

She says there is strong evidence that Katanga was personally responsible for the massacre in 2003 of around 200 people in the northeast village Bogoro.

"Katanga is the leader of a militia⁸ group who we allege⁹ is personally responsible for murder, for inhumane acts, and for sexual enslavement at Bogoro village," said Bensouda.

She says Katanga faces three charges of crimes against humanity and six war crimes.

Katanga was arrested in Congo in 2005 following the killing¹⁰ of nine U.N. peacekeepers; he has been in custody in Congo ever since.

Anneke van Woudenberg, a senior DRC researcher at Human Rights Watch, says the trial of Katanga and other war criminals is a hugely important step towards ending impunity in Africa.

"This is of course very important for the victims in Congo who have suffered hugely at his hands and at the hands of other warlords and it is these things that send a signal that the culture of impunity is coming to an end," said Woudenberg.

She says the court must ensure that the Congolese population is fully¹¹ updated on the trial, which will be taking place a continent away.

"I think sometimes the difficulty is that The Hague seems very far away and sometimes it seems that things move very slowly," said Woudenberg. "It will be important for the court to explain it to the local communities most affected¹² and to make sure that they are informed and involved in these proceedings¹³."

She says the court is considering conducting part of the trial in Congo.

Muzong Kodi, an Africa analyst¹ with London-based research group Chatham House, says the trial is very important.

But he says the international court has only gone after the smaller players in Congo's bloody¹⁴ conflict. He says most of the main offenders¹⁵ are still in Congo, bringing bloodshed to the country.

"The big fish are still continuing to reek¹⁶ havoc¹⁷ in the country," said Kodi. "Mr. Nkunda Batware is certainly one of the worst human rights violators in the country. He is still running around and people are trying to negotiate with him. I think that is a problem it sends the wrong message."

Laurent Nkunda is an ethnic-Tutsi rebel leader who has battled army and ethnic-Hutu forces in eastern Congo since August.

Thomas Lubanga, facing charges of recruiting and using child soldiers, will be the first person tried at the International Criminal Court. His trial is expected to begin early next year.

1 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。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

4 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

5 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

6 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

7 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。

8 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。

9 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

10 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。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

14 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

15 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

16 reek   

v.发出臭气；n.恶臭

参考例句：

• Where there's reek,there's heat.哪里有恶臭，哪里必发热。
• That reek is from the fox.那股恶臭是狐狸发出的。

17 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。