Militia Loyal to Congo Government Says it Holds

 

By David Lewis

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a militia¹ leader loyal to the government says that he has captured the headquarters of rebels operating in eastern Congo. There has been no independent confirmation² of the claims, but they come as government forces advance, and the rebels appear to have left their base and headed north.

A week into a government advance on the positions held by eastern Congolese rebel leader General Laurent Nkunda, a militia commander loyal to Kinshasa has said that the dissidents have fled their stronghold, and his men have taken control.

Colonel Solomon Tokolonga, a commander in the Mai Mai, a pro-government militia that is now being integrated into the new Congolese army, said Monday he was holding the lakeside base of Minova, and would wait for the government troops to arrive.

He said his men met little resistance, and that General Nkunda's soldiers had fled northwards, taking with them their weapons and ammunition³.

There has been no independent confirmation, as the United Nations mission in Congo does not have any military observers in the area.

But civilians⁴ contacted shortly after they left Minova confirmed that General Nkunda's soldiers had left and were making their way into North Kivu, a neighboring province.

General Felix Mbuza Mabe, the commander of the government troops advancing from South Kivu, has said that his men are not yet in Minova, but were still heading north.

He said last week that his mission was to clear his province of rebels and those suspected of backing them, but stressed that he would not pursue them into North Kivu.

The whereabouts of General Nkunda are unknown, but a close aid Monday denied the claims that their lakeside base had been overrun.

General Nkunda, a former commander of the Rwanda-backed RCD rebel movement, led a revolt four months ago, which he said was to protect fellow ethnic⁵ Tutsis, he said were being killed by army soldiers. U.N. investigators⁶ say they have found no evidence of mass killings⁷.

Analysts⁸ in Kinshasa warned Monday that, even if the rebels have been ousted⁹ from their base, they would still be in North Kivu, a province where local authorities are generally sympathetic to their cause.

The rebellion has rocked the peace process intended to end a decade of instability, and, a five year war that killed three million people in the Congo.

David Lewis for VOA news in Kinshasa.

注释：
rebel 造反者，反叛者
confirmation 证实，确认
Kinshasa 金沙萨，扎伊尔首都
ammunition 军火，弹药
overrun 蹂躏，泛滥
Tutsi 图西人，卢旺达与布隆迪境内的少数民族人
sympathetic 有同情心的

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 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

3 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。

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 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 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

8 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。

9 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。