2007年VOA标准英语-Town in Central African Republic Occupied by Re

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
25 May 2007

A rebel leader in the Central African Republic says about 1,000 rebels from a rival group have occupied a town near the border with Sudan. The men are reported to be part of a splinter organization within the Union of Democratic Forces Coalition¹, which controls the region and recently signed a peace accord with the government. Naomi Schwarz has more on the story from our regional bureau in Dakar.

Damane Zakaria, the main rebel leader in the northern portion of Central African Republic, told the Associated Press that nearly 1,000 armed men have occupied the town of Sam-Ouandjia.

The region, close to the border with Sudan, has had similar incidents in recent months, as the conflict in Sudan's troubled Darfur region spills over the border.

Alex Vines, director of the Africa Program at British-based think tank Chatham House, says such incidents, which have long been a problem in Chad, are becoming more common in CAR as well.

"It is exactly this reason which is why there is a proposal at the moment for the new mandate² and structure for a new AU - U.N. hybrid³ force in Darfur to be very much more mobile and proactive in these border areas to try and avoid the spread of these problems," said Vines. "Because the Darfur problem is clearly becoming regional."

Khartoum accepted a U.N. support package of three thousand military personnel to help the beleaguered⁴ African Union peacekeeping force of about 7,000 troops who have been unable to quell⁵ the violence. The United Nations and the African Union want to eventually build a "hybrid" force that would include more than 20,000 troops. Khartoum has not agreed.

Details of the latest incident are still very vague, but it appears the armed men are members of a splinter group within Zakaria's rebel organization.

In April, Zakaria signed a peace deal with the government. The leader of the splinter group, Abacar Samone, split from Zakaria's group after the peace accord. But it is unclear what his role in this incident really is, because he is currently in prison in Benin.

The government has declined to comment.

Alex Vines says it is unlikely they will be able to intervene militarily.

"The government in Central African republic is very weak. It really does not have any presence in this area," he said. "It is contained to the south and particularly in the capital Bangui."

Vines says the French have provided assistance in the past, but with a new president in Paris, observers wonder whether France's engagement in this issue and others in Africa will change.

Conflict in Central African Republic has been ongoing⁶ for decades, as various factions⁷ have battled for control of the country through rebellions, military coups⁸ and army revolts.

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

3 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

4 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

8 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网