报告显示“上帝抵抗军”规模减小却依然活跃

Report: LRA Smaller, Still Active 报告显示“上帝抵抗军”规模减小却依然活跃

A new report says efforts to combat LRA rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and elsewhere have made significant progress since 2010.

Released by the Washington-based Resolve LRA Crisis Initiative, the report [PDF] also warns that rebels are still trafficking illicit¹ ivory and diamonds and continue to find safe havens². What’s more, indicted³ war crimes leader Joseph Kony remains⁴ free.

Five years ago, President Barack Obama signed the Lord’s Resistance Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. It led the administration to announce a strategy to end the rebels’ long reign⁵ of killings⁶, abductions and looting. The AU and U.N. also launched anti-LRA initiatives.

“For President Obama, his response to the LRA is really one of the keystones to his legacy⁷ in Africa," said Paul Ronan, the initiative’s director. "He has really put a lot of time, political energy and resources into this issue. From the moment that he signed the LRA disarmament bill in May of 2010 and then deployed⁸ the U.S. advisers⁹ a year later, he has really made it clear that for him this is an issue that he wants to see done.”

Ronan says the number of LRA rebels is down significantly, thanks to combined international efforts.

“Just a few years ago, Kony, the leader of the LRA, had about 800 combatants at his disposal," he said. "And as the result of defection campaigns and operations conducted primarily by the Ugandan military, along with the support by the U.S., our best estimates say that he only has about 200 combatants left.”

However, Ronan said, while the number of LRA rebels has been reduced, they’re still very active.

“The LRA has been very successful in poaching endangered elephants in the Democratic Republic of Congo and then taking the illicit ivory up to Sudanese-controlled areas around south South Darfur, where they sell it in order to get food, other supplies, even arms and ammunition,” he said.

Those safe havens in Sudan-controlled South Darfur State are critical for the LRA because U.S. advisors¹⁰ and Ugandan forces are not allowed to operate there. The report also said LRA rebels “periodically meet with Séléka rebels and community leaders in eastern CAR to request food and supplies.”

The Ronan also says rebels continue to launch attacks against civilians¹¹.

“In parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, LRA attacks and abductions are actually higher than they were even two years ago, and the number of displaced people has gone up," he said. "And abductions — where they’re abducting¹² people to take goods back to their camps — have really gone up. We’ve already seen more abductions the Congo in the first seven months of 2015 than we did in all of 2013.”

The report states that “there are gaps in U.S. logistical and intelligence support to U.S. military advisers and their African partners,” which includes a shortage of airlift support to quickly move troops. The report also says U.S. advisers are rotated out every six months, reducing their ability to build rapport¹³ with local communities.

Nevertheless, it does praise Operation Observant Compass, which the U.S. launched in 2011. The operation uses radio messages, aerial loudspeakers and aerial leaflet drops to encourage LRA fighters to surrender. The report said the defection of seven of Kony’s bodyguards¹⁴ in June is an example of its effectiveness and should be expanded.

“President Obama’s legacy on the LRA will depend on whether his administration exercises the leadership needed to move beyond mitigation of the crisis towards its definitive¹⁵ resolution,” the report says. "The President and U.S. Congress deserve credit for reducing the LRA to a shadow of its former self, but they cannot rest until the LRA command structure is dismantled¹⁶ and the group no longer poses a significant threat to civilians.”

1 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

2 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

3 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

4 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。

5 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

6 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

7 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

8 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。

9 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

10 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 abducting   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的现在分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• She was charged with abducting a six-month-old child. 她被控诱拐一个6个月大的孩子。
• At the same time, the rate of abducting foreigners is going down. 同时，发生在外国人身上的绑架案正在下降。

13 rapport   

n.和睦，意见一致

参考例句：

• She has an excellent rapport with her staff.她跟她职员的关系非常融洽。
• We developed a high degree of trust and a considerable personal rapport.我们发展了高度的互相信任和不错的私人融洽关系。

14 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

15 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

16 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。