2007年VOA标准英语-Congo Rebel Leader Says Violence On the Wane

By Nick Wadhams
Nairobi
10 September 2007

Laurent Nkunda (2004 photo)

Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda says violence is easing in restive¹ eastern Congo after days of heavy fighting forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. As Nick Wadhams reports from Nairobi, Nkunda says his rebels are ready for negotiations³ with the government.

In an interview from the jungles of eastern Congo, General Nkunda says his forces are prepared to fight the forces of Congolese President Joseph Kabila but would rather talk. He says now that both sides have indicated they are willing to talk, they need an international mediator⁴ to steer⁵ the process.

Nkunda's forces have clashed with government troops for years in the North Kivu province, and hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes. Renewed clashes in the last few days have pushed another 40,000 from their homes, killed dozens, and raised fears that eastern Congo could see a repeat of the war that saw some four million people die between 1998 and 2004.

Nkunda, whom the United Nations has dubbed⁶ the biggest threat to stability in Congo, says that President Kabila's forces are defeated in the region and he must realize that talks are now the only answer.

"I think the situation is now normalizing. I think we are going to get a way to talk to the government. I think we are going to go talk because there are many problems to address," he said. "We think that he cannot chose for war, I think he is going to choose for negotiation². It's the best way to resolve problems and for us we are aware that they are going to accept that. We are not planning for fighting and I think it cannot also be for the advantage of the government."

Nkunda says his forces are fighting the Rwandan Hutus who crossed into Congo after the 1994 genocide in their country. Yet his forces have also been known to attack civilians⁷ and have been accused of widespread atrocities⁸.

On Thursday, Nkunda's forces agreed to a cease-fire with the government after several days of fighting. While that offered some small hope of stability, there were then fears of war from a different angle, after reports emerged that Uganda was massing troops along the eastern border.

The two sides held talks over the weekend to ease tension caused by the troops' presence and border disputes surrounding the oil-rich Lake Albert area.

Ugandan army spokesman Felix Kulayigye said his country is not massing troops along the border and has no plans to invade, despite the tension in North Kivu.

"No, no, no, no. We can't do that when we've just been having talks with the Congolese leader. The developments in North Kivu province certainly are of concern because of the continuous refugee that are flocking into Uganda because they are posing a strain on our resources but otherwise the situation is relaxed," said Kulayigye.

Uganda has invaded Congo twice in the past, and Kulayigye said Congo will remain in turmoil⁹ unless the government takes control of the east, eradicates¹⁰ the (ethnic Hutu) Interahamwe and Nkunda's forces are integrated into the national army.

1 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

2 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

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 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

5 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

6 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

10 eradicates   

根除者( eradicate的名词复数 )； 褪色灵

参考例句：

• Time proves, delivers, alters and eradicates ad infinitum. 时间能证明一切，给予一切，改变一切，也能消灭一切。
• The Jinshan Dam took when flood-diversion sluice downriver anti-water barrier, it eradicates cannot have artificial resistance. 金山坝作为分洪闸下游阻水障碍时，其破除不会有人为的阻力。