UN: Rwandan Border Troop Buildup Threatens Peace

 

Cathy Majtenyi
 
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo said that the recent buildup of troops by Rwanda along the borders of Rwanda, Burundi and Congo poses a threat to peace efforts in the area. Cathy Majtenyi reports from VOA's East African Bureau in Nairobi.
A spokeswoman for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, Eliane Nabaa, said that she is unclear why the Rwandan government is massing its troops along the borders, when according to the United Nations it is unlikely that Hutu rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo are planning a large-scale attack against Rwanda.
"When there were these claims that they were preparing a massive attack, in fact, the U.N. observers did not witness any real massive preparation for an attack," she said.
Ms. Naba says that since the singing of the regional peace deal in 2002, UN has repatriated² some eleven thousand rebels back to Rwanda. She says there are about 8,000 Hutu rebels in DRC. The presence of Hutu rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a sensitive issue. After Rwanda's 1994 genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed up to 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, Hutu militiamen and soldiers fled to neighboring Congo to hide. In the process, the rebels killed many Congolese troops and civilians³.
While the U.N. peacekeeping mission said that it does not believe Hutu rebels are organizing massive strikes against Rwanda, Rwandan officials see it differently.
Rwandan army spokesman Colonel Patrick Karegeya said that Hutu rebels attacked places along the Congo and Burundian borders on April seventh, eighth and ninth. He added that in one battle, 16 rebels were killed and the rest fled back to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Colonel Karegeya estimates there are more than 15,000 Hutu rebels hiding out in Congo. He said that contrary to what the United Nations says, no Hutu rebels have been disarmed⁵ and repatriated back to Rwanda. Those who have returned, he said, have done so on their own.
He also denied allegations by the U.N. peacekeeping mission that Rwandan troops were spotted⁶ in Congo.
Colonel Karegeya added that Rwanda is willing to help the U.N. peacekeeping mission disarm⁴ the Hutu rebels. He said that the Rwandan army will continue to wait along the borders and fight back, in case they are attacked.
注释：
peacekeeping [5pi:s7ki:piN] adj. 维护和平的，执行（或监督）停火协定的
Congo [5kCN^Eu] n. （国名）刚果（非洲国家）
buildup [bild5Qp] n. 组合，集结
Rwanda [ru5AndE] n.（国名）卢旺达（非洲国家）
Burundi [bu5rundi] n. 布隆迪（非洲国家）
Nairobi [7naiE5rEubi] n. 奈洛比
mass [mAs] vt. 使集合
large-scale adj. 大规模的
repatriate¹ [ri:5pAtrieit] v. 遣返
genocide [5dVenEu7said] n. 有计划的灭种和屠杀
extremist [iks5tri:mist] n. 极端主义分子
militiamen [mi5liFEmen] n. 民兵组织，全体民兵
allegation [7Ali5^eiFEn] n. 主张
disarm [dis5B:m] vt. 解除武装

1 repatriate   

v.遣返；返回；n.被遣返回国者

参考例句：

• The government safely repatriates victims.政府安全遣返了受害者。
• In this part,you need to formulate in detail repatriate the plan.在这一部分，你需要制定详细的归国计划。

2 repatriated   

v.把（某人）遣送回国，遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
• Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

5 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》

6 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。