VOA常速英语2007-Congo Rebels Brace for More Fighting Following D

By Noel King
Kigali
16 October 2007

Forces loyal to dissident Congolese General Laurent Nkunda will not integrate in Congo 's national army, despite the extension of an October 15 deadline, a rebel spokesman said Tuesday. Noel King has more in this report from Kigali.
 
Nkunda's army is bracing¹ for renewed fighting despite a period of relative calm early Tuesday, spokesman Rene Abanzi told VOA.

"The government is continuing to transport troops. We know in a few hours they are going to begin again," he said.  "We are preparing to be attacked in a few hours." 

On Tuesday, Congolese President Joseph Kabila extended an October 15 deadline for Nkunda to integrate his forces into Congo 's national army.

Abanzi said integration², also known as brassage, will not be possible until Kabila agrees to formal talks with the rebels.

Kabila has said he is not interested in continuing negotiations³ with Nkunda's National Congress for the People's Defense⁴.  Abanzi said the stalemate is the fault of Congo 's administration.

"We said to them that we were ready to speak about brassage," he added.  "But they refused to talk with us about brassage. It's a problem. We need a ceasefire but the President refused."

Fierce fighting between Nkunda's forces and the army began in December 2006, displacing tens of thousands of people.  Renewed fighting erupted in late August.

Nkunda, an ethnic⁵ Tutsi, split from Congo 's armed forces in 2004. He claims not enough has been done to rid eastern Congo of Hutu militias⁷ known as the FDLR.

The FDLR have links to the perpetrators of neighboring Rwanda 's 1994 genocide, in which 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.
 
Routed by the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic⁸ Front, Hutu militias poured into eastern Congo.  Congo's administration, strengthened by a 2006 election, has called on the numerous armed groups operating in eastern Congo to integrate into the national army.

Most militia⁶ groups have refused calls to integrate their forces, and eastern Congo remains⁹ wracked by conflict.

1 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

2 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 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。

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 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。

7 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

8 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。