VOA标准英语2009年-DRC Parliament Speaker Steps Down

The Democratic Republic of Congo's speaker of parliament has resigned, after he opposed the government's decision to invite Rwandan troops into the country to pursue a militia¹. Rwandan troops have since left the country, while U.N. peacekeepers and Congolese troops continue to pursue the militia.
　
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, left, and National Assembly President Vital Kamerhe, in Kinshasa, Congo (File)

Speaker Vital Kamerhe announced his resignation before Congo's parliament on Wednesday.

"Please accept my resignation without a debate or a vote", he said. "God loves Congo and I have faith in the future of my country."

Kamerhe had been an ally of President Joseph Kabila. But in January, Kamerhe criticized the government's decision to invite Rwandan troops into the country to pursue a Rwandan Hutu militia, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda or FDLR, which has long contributed to instability in eastern Congo. He accused Rwanda of stealing Congo's mineral resources, and said the population was uncomfortable with the presence of Rwandan troops, given that county's interventions² during Congo's civil war.

Rwandan troops withdrew from eastern Congo at the end of February. Rwanda says its forces killed about 150 members of the militia and disarmed³ about 1,300. President Paul Kagame recently told the magazine Jeune Afrique that Rwanda had "broken the backbone⁴" of the FDLR. But with an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 fighters operating in the region, the militia is far from vanquished⁵.

The Congolese military, along with the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Congo have continued to pursue the FDLR, in attempt to prevent the rebels from regaining⁶ former strongholds. The peacekeeping force says the FDLR has tried to launch attacks on at least 11 locations since Rwandan forces withdrew.

Meanwhile, Congo's government has signed an agreement with the National Congress for Defense⁷ of the People, or CNDP, a Congolese Tutsi rebel group also operating in Eastern Congo.

The group's former leader, Laurent Nkunda was captured by Rwanda in January, where he is currently being held under house arrest. A United Nations report has accused Rwanda of backing Nkunda until recently, an allegation Rwanda has denied.

Congo's Minister of Cooperation, Raymond Tchibanda, welcomed the agreement, which also included various other armed groups in the region, at a signing ceremony in the eastern town of Goma on Monday.

The minister says the accord reaffirms that the political-military movement CNDP and the armed groups of North and South Kivu abandon the armed struggle, put their troops at the disposal of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and transform into political parties. He said the armed groups agree to pursue any demands they have through politics, respecting the constitution of the republic.

Meanwhile, to the north, the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, continues to launch attacks on civilians⁸. Uganda led a military operation to target the rebels, which concluded this week. But the UN says 11,000 people have been displaced by recent attacks by the group. Some 200,000 have been displaced by the LRA since September.

1 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。

2 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

3 disarmed   

v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

5 vanquished   

v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制

参考例句：

• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I vanquished her coldness with my assiduity. 我对她关心照顾从而消除了她的冷淡。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 regaining   

复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• She was regaining consciousness now, but the fear was coming with her. 现在她正在恢发她的知觉，但是恐怖也就伴随着来了。
• She said briefly, regaining her will with a click. 她干脆地答道，又马上重新振作起精神来。

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 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。