2006年VOA标准英语-Ivory Coast Violence Escalates

By Franz Wild
Abidjan
09 November 2006

Last week five died in Ivory Coast during battles between a militia¹ and the local population. Some say this kind of violent disorder² has been planned.

Hervé Tailly watches the images of the burning camp on his mobile phone.

Last week residents chased the several hundred members of the Group of Patriots³ for Peace, or GPP, out of Yopougon, Abidjan's most populous⁴ district, where they had been camping. They set fire to their tents.

Witnesses say, two GPP men were tied to tires, doused⁵ in gasoline and burned alive. The next morning the small heap of debris⁶ still smolders⁷ on a junction⁸ while locals go about their daily business.

Tailly was one of those who were, as he says, retaliating⁹ against the GPPs constant violence. He smiles as he watches his film.

He says he is happy when he sees the images, because the GPP has left the area. But he wants to know whether the authorities will now disarm¹⁰ them, so that they do not become a menace in another area.

Tailly says ever since the GPP arrived in the area they have been causing trouble.

He says, when you go to the market they threaten foreigners and they just take what they want. If you are walking along with your girlfriend, he says, they will just attack you, take your phone and take advantage of the girl. But, he says, there is nothing you can do, because they are protected by the head of army.

Not even the police can control them, Yopougon residents complain.

There was such relief when they left. Residents danced and celebrated¹¹ until the early morning, even though two of their own had been killed in the fighting.

The leader of that GPP unit is Jean Francois Kouassi, better known as General Jeff Fada. He says the GPP are merely a group of patriots who volunteered to help defend the republic when northern rebels attacked the south in 2002.

The latest spate¹² of violence coincided with a United Nations decision on how to continue with the peace plan.

Fada generally agrees with Tailly's version of events, but says his men kept to themselves.

"That's rubbish, they do not attack anybody," he said. "But they have no food. They have nothing.  If they have a bit of work, they go and work. If anybody steals, we punish him. And even if they do steal, this is not the way to do justice, is it?"

Fada says the GPP have no income and have been neglected by a disarmament program, which is part of a United Nations peace plan to reunite the country. Under the plan, militia members are given money to set up in civilian¹³ life.

"We are ignored in the program for disarmament, so I could not contain the boys," he explained.  "So I brought them there to have their own camp to just leave people alone, because they used to protest."

The vast majority of Abidjan's residents have little sympathy for them, however. 

Laurent Gbagbo

The opposition¹⁴ PDCI has gone so far as to say President Laurent Gbagbo is protecting them and thus encouraging a spirit of lawlessness in Ivory Coast.

PDCI Secretary General Alphonse Djédjé Mady says these sad events are a result of the presidential clans¹⁵ complicity. "How else," he says, can an officially disbanded militia still exist and interfere¹⁶ with a peaceful community like that?"

Fada says his militia is not supported by anybody and fends¹⁷ for itself. While they have sought refuge in the police training academy, Abidjan's population waits to see where next they will decide to move.

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 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。

3 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

4 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

5 doused   

v.浇水在…上( douse的过去式和过去分词 )；熄灯[火]

参考例句：

• The car was doused in petrol and set alight. 这辆汽车被浇上汽油点燃了。
• He doused the lamp,and we made our way back to the house. 他把灯熄掉，我们就回到屋子里去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

7 smolders   

n.焖烧，文火，冒烟( smolder的名词复数 )v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Watch as fire smolders at the bullet-ridden Red Mosque complex. 现在，大火正在红色清真寺内燃烧。 来自互联网

8 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。

9 retaliating   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The administration will begin retaliating in six weeks if EC policies remain unchanged. 凯特先生说，如果欧共体一意孤行，美国政府将于六周后开始报复。 来自互联网

10 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

11 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

12 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。

13 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

14 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。

15 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

16 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

17 fends   

v.独立生活，照料自己( fend的第三人称单数 )；挡开，避开

参考例句：