VOA常速英语2008年-Residents Flee Chad Capital

By Kari Barber
Dakar
04 February 2008

U.N. officials say thousands of Chadians have been fleeing the capital N'Djamena to neighboring Cameroon after two days of heavy fighting between rebel groups and government forces. Kari Barber reports from our West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar that rebels who are on the outskirts¹ of N'Djamena say they are preparing a new offensive.

Humanitarian² workers say hundreds of people have been injured in the fighting, while stores and wealthy neighborhoods have been looted and inmates³ have escaped from the main prison.

Foreign security officials say the army appeared to control the presidential palace and parliament, while rebels still held positions in the east and on northern outskirts.

Geneva-based Helene Caux, of the U.N. refugee agency, says thousands of Chadians have been fleeing on foot by a bridge that reopened Sunday connecting N'Djamena to the Cameroon town of Kousseri.

"We are trying to see how we could bring basic assistance such as blankets, plastic sheeting, kitchen sets to try to assist the people, but most of all we also want to evaluate in which state they are arriving - if they managed to bring their possessions with them, probably there are some wounded people also," said Caux.

Members of Chadian opposition⁴ parties are also among those fleeing, after some say their families were attacked.

Aid workers say there are also long-term humanitarian concerns.

The U.N. food organization supplies provisions to about 400,000 displaced people in eastern Chad, where there was also a rebel attack Sunday. Spokeswoman Stephanie Savariaud says the fighting is threatening to disrupt the distribution of food aid.

"Because of the current instability, it is obvious that we cannot get this food in. Fortunately we have propositioned enough food for February and March, but from March we will still need to get food in. If the situation does not ease quickly it is going to be a problem for the months to come," she said.

Civilians⁵ in N'Djamena say they are running out of food, as shops remained closed.

Rebels who faced off against presidential guard in battles across the city, including outside the presidential palace, have mostly left the capital. The government officials are calling the retreat a victory.

But exiled Chadian rebel spokesman Makaila Nguebla, speaking from Dakar, says it was a tactical move.

Nguebla says the rebels want to give the population a chance to leave so that they will not be caught up in the fighting. He says the rebels will attack again and the positions of the republican guard and President Idriss Deby will be their targets.

A main rebel leader said some rebel fighters moved away from the capital to block rebels he says are coming from Darfur to help Mr. Deby. The Darfurian rebels have their political headquarters in N'Djamena.

The Chadian rebels arrived in the capital Friday after a three-day push across the desert. They say they are seeking to oust⁶ Mr. Deby who took power in a coup⁷ in 1990.

President Deby has accused Sudan of backing the rebels, which Sudanese officials deny.

1 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

2 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。

3 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 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。

6 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

7 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。