2006年VOA标准英语-Clashes, Suspicion Mark DRC Campaigning

By Nico Colombant
Kinshasa
22 October 2006

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, recurrent clashes and criticism of police have marked early campaigning for the second-round post-war presidential run-off to be held October 29.

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Kabila Supporters Face Trouble  
  
Supporters of first round,third place finisher Antoine Gizenga now backing President Joseph Kabila, ran and drove away from residents in Kinshasa throwing rocks at their convoy¹.

One militant² said their attackers were neighborhood thugs who are boycotting⁴ the election process, saying it is tilted⁵ in Mr. Kabila's favor.

Another militant said this type of disorder⁶ will not end until police and U.N peacekeepers beef up their presence.

He says there will be dead people in the streets again, if something is not done.

Clashes in August following first round results left nearly two dozen people dead in Kinshasa, mostly guards for the top two finishers Mr. Kabila, and former rebel and current vice-president, Jean-Pierre Bemba.

On October 29, there will also be voting for posts in provincial⁷ assemblies.

Faustin Pinda  
  
An independent candidate, loosely allied⁸ to Mr. Kabila, Faustin Pinda, also called for a reinforcement of the police presence. He said he wants calm to reign⁹ in Kinshasa, rather than war. He says he is tired of seeing people injured and killed. He said people must accept results.

But a supporter of Mr. Bemba who looked on as the clash dissipated, Junior, accuses Mr. Kabila of militarizing the electoral process.

The elections are not going well, he says. Mr. Kabila recently appointed military governors. He charges Mr. Kabila wants to crush his rivals, and does not want peace.

Bemba Supporters rally for their candidate  
  
During the interview, police showed up, followed by Junior's quick disappearance¹⁰. The crowd of Mr. Bemba's supporters which was growing fast said police whisked him away, showcasing what they call biased¹¹ treatment of political militants¹².

Mr. Bemba got just 20 percent in the first round, mostly in the west, but hopes to build on support from many who took part in the boycott³. Mr. Kabila, the son of a former slain¹³ coup¹⁴ leader, got 45 percent, mostly in the east, but has gotten support from failed candidates who did fairly well in the west.

A European special reaction force is sending additional troops from nearby Gabon to help with security. The already large but still overextended U.N. mission is asking that the European force remain beyond its scheduled departure at the end of November.

1 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

4 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

5 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

6 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

7 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

8 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。

9 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。

10 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

11 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

12 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

13 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

14 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。