2006年VOA标准英语-French Officials Say CAR Rebels Lose Last Town

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
10 December 2006

Central African Republic

French military officials are saying rebels in the Central African Republic have lost the last northern town they were holding, nearly two weeks into a counter-offensive. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our regional bureau in Dakar.

French media quoted French military officials as saying the Central African Republic army was able to reclaim¹ the northern town of Ouadda Djalle, without any rebel resistance.

Under the auspices² of an agreement with the government in Bangui, the former colonial power France has been providing ground and air support, including the use of Mirage³ fighter jets, to push back the insurgency⁴.

Officials say it is unclear where the rebels went, or whether they are regrouping.

Rebels who have been reached previously⁵ by satellite phone were not immediately available.

They went on a new offensive, seizing northern towns since late October from areas near Sudan and Chad. The CAR rebels, known as the Union of Democratic Forces for Rally, say they want to impose a national dialogue, amid bad governance by former coup⁶ leader turned elected President Francois Bozize.

The government accuses the rebels of being backed by Sudan, amid alleged⁷ efforts to start a regional war. Sudan denies this.

An analyst⁸ with the London-based Control Risks group, Chris Melville, says whatever Sudan's role has been, France has been a key player in recent developments.

"Rebel forces have reported that French forces have fired on their positions without provocation," said Melville. "There also seems to be some sort of leakage⁹ of information from the French government itself, which, accidentally, we think, admitted to the presence of special operation units."

Another CAR analyst, Paul Melly, says he does not believe the Bozize government is at risk. But he says the interior of the country is prone¹⁰ to such insurgencies and widespread banditry.

"Even if the population is broadly accepting of the government, and I think we can say it is, the state does not have the means to deliver the stability," noted¹¹ Melly. "It is not so much a failed state, as almost an absent state in large parts of the country."

The poorly trained and equipped CAR army is also being backed by a military force deployed¹² by the Central African Economic and Monetary¹³ Union.

1 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

2 auspices   

n.资助，赞助

参考例句：

• The association is under the auspices of Word Bank.这个组织是在世界银行的赞助下办的。
• The examination was held under the auspices of the government.这次考试是由政府主办的。

3 mirage   

n.海市蜃楼，幻景

参考例句：

• Perhaps we are all just chasing a mirage.也许我们都只是在追逐一个幻想。
• Western liberalism was always a mirage.西方自由主义永远是一座海市蜃楼。

4 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 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。

7 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 leakage   

n.漏，泄漏；泄漏物；漏出量

参考例句：

• Large areas of land have been contaminated by the leakage from the nuclear reactor.大片地区都被核反应堆的泄漏物污染了。
• The continuing leakage is the result of the long crack in the pipe.这根管子上的那一条裂缝致使渗漏不断。

10 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 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。

13 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。