voa标准英语2008年-UN Special Envoy Arrives in Democratic Republic

The United Nations Special Envoy¹ to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Olusegun Obasanjo, has arrived in Kinshasa seeking to end the renewed fighting in the east. The visit comes as rebels take another town near the Ugandan border and relief officials struggle to deliver emergency supplies to thousands of people displaced by the violence. VOA's Scott Bobb reports from our bureau in Johannesburg.
　

Former Nigerian President and UN special envoy to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Olusegun Obasanjo (file photo)

United Nations officials said Special Envoy Olusegun Obasanjo would meet in Kinshasa with Congolese President Joseph Kabila and representatives of the five member nations of the U.N. Security Council. He then is to travel to North Kivu province to meet with rebel leader Laurent Nkunda.

A fragile ceasefire signed earlier this year broke down in August leading to renewed fighting between Nkunda's forces, government troops and several rebel militia's allied² with the Kinshasa government. All sides reportedly have committed atrocities³ and the fighting has displaced one-quarter million people.

The spokesman for the U.N. Mission in Congo, Madnodje Mounoubai says the situation is disturbing.

"For the past three days there have been attacks all over North Kivu, in Rutshuru, in Masisi [north of Goma], he said. "The ceasefire is no longer holding in those areas so we are very worried about the future."
　

Displaced Congolese, who fled to the southeast of Rutshuru, against the border with Uganda, wait for aid in Ntamugenga, eastern Congo, 24 Nov 2008

U.N. officials Friday confirmed that Nkunda's forces had seized the town of Ishasha near the border with Uganda, causing some 13,000 residents to flee into Uganda.

The U.N. Security Council this week approved a request to send 3,000 additional peacekeepers to Congo. They are to join the 17,000 troops already there, 5,000 of which are deployed⁴ in the east at 35 mobile bases. But details have yet to be worked out, leading to calls for the European Union to send forces.

U.N. spokesman Mounoubai notes that before the fighting erupted there already were one million internally displaced people, or IDP's, in the region. He says the latest violence has only worsened the humanitarian⁵ tragedy.

"The humanitarian organizations, the U.N. agencies, they have received enough food to be able to assist those additional IDP's," said Mounoubai. "The problem they have on the ground is that there is not enough security for them to be able to send this assistance to the displaced."

He says the largest camp, Kibati, lies in the conflict zone and as a result is being moved to a safer area.

An estimated three million Congolese died during two civil wars in the mid-1990s. A peace agreement several years ago ended most of the violence and brought national elections two years ago. But it failed to end hostilities⁶ in parts of eastern Congo.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

3 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》

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。