VOA常速英语2007-UN says No Evidence Army, Rebel Groups Ally in E

By Noel King
Kigali
03 October 2007

Conflicting reports are emerging from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo regarding an alleged¹ alliance between Congo's army and outlaw² Hutu and Mayi Mayi militias⁴, aimed at purging⁵ a rebellion by dissident general Laurent Nkunda.  Noel King has more in this report from Kigali.

A spokesman for the U.N. Mission in Congo said the United Nations is not aware of any evidence of cooperation between outlaw militias, including the Hutu FDLR, and Congo's armed forces.
 
Major Gabriel de Brosses spoke⁶ to VOA by phone from Kinshasa.
 
"We do not think such an alliance took place because the FDLR is one of the major problems that the DRC is facing.  It is pretty unlikely to happen," de Brosses said.
 
The alleged alliance between Hutu and Mayi Mayi militias, known as the Front for the Liberation of North Kivu, was first reported by the BBC on Tuesday.  Militia³ members told the BBC they were supporting Congo's weakened army to flush Laurent Nkunda's forces from the region.
 
If Congo's armed forces have aligned⁷ with the militias, it would be a sharp reversal of their stated policies.  Congo has sworn to rid its vast eastern provinces of Hutu militias, which include in their ranks some of the perpetrators of neighboring Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
 
Major De Brosses said he could not rule out the possibility that some alliances had taken place at a local level.  Confusion is rife⁸ in eastern Congo as a disorganized, demoralized national army and numerous militia groups lay claim to providing security in the region.
 
Nkunda broke ranks with the army in 2004, charging that Congo had failed to protect ethnic⁹ Tutsis in the region from Hutu militias. 
 
Rene Abanzi, a spokesman for Nkunda, told VOA he has no doubt that the Congolese armed forces have enlisted¹⁰ the help of the FDLR militias.
 
"It is something that anyone can verify," Abanzi said. "We are taking prisoners from the FDLR.  They are receiving ammunition¹¹.  They are receiving uniforms. They are working together."
 
A spokesman for the Congolese army was not available for comment.  But Congo has previously¹² denied any affiliation¹³ with the militia groups.
 
The U.N.  Mission in Congo is the largest in the world, and is comprised of 17,000 troops.
 
Congo was devastated¹⁴ by a 1998-2003 war, which pulled in seven neighboring nations and took about four-million lives, mostly from hunger and disease.

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

3 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。

4 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

5 purging   

清洗； 清除； 净化； 洗炉

参考例句：

• You learned the dry-mouthed, fear-purged, purging ecstasy of battle. 你体会到战斗中那种使人嘴巴发干的，战胜了恐惧并排除其他杂念的狂喜。
• Purging databases, configuring, and making other exceptional requests might fall into this category. 比如清空数据库、配置，以及其他特别的请求等都属于这个类别。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

8 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

9 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。

10 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 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。

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

13 affiliation   

n.联系，联合

参考例句：

• There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似，但我们之间并没有关系。
• The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。

14 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。