2007年VOA标准英语-Sierra Leone Presidential Candidates Pledge to

By Kari Barber
Freetown
03 September 2007

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A meeting at the opposition APC headquarters to train young supporters in Freetown

The two parties in Sierra Leone's presidential runoff have said the only rally to be held in the capital before Saturday's vote will be a joint² peace rally between the parties. This followed a police warning against gatherings³ in Freetown. Opposition leader Ernest Koroma and Vice⁴ President and candidate Solomon Berewa met with President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and pledged to reign⁵ in their supporters after recent renewed clashes left many injured. Kari Barber has more for VOA from Freetown.

Hundreds of young people gather for training at the opposition All People's Congress headquarters in Freetown, the party of candidate Ernest Koroma.

Party leaders explain that with recent clashes between their party and the rival Sierra Leone People's Party, they need to remind young followers⁶ to refrain from fights this week as they disperse⁷ throughout the country to monitor the election.

APC youth leader Bai Mahamoud Bangura says young people in the nation, whose wounds are still fresh from recent civil war, are especially vulnerable to fall back into violence.

"There is a saying that for any group of youths, violence is a father. Which means we are very simple to be used in order to ignite violence," said Bangura.

After fights broke out in the streets of Freetown Saturday President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah called a meeting with APC's Koroma and Vice President Berewa, of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party, demanding they take control of their parties. The two candidates signed a pledge to combat violence in their ranks, including a promise to stop using ex-combatants and vigilante groups as security.

Sallieu Camara of civic⁸ society organization Network Movement for Justice and Development says that although the fighting has been sporadic⁹, citizens are on high alert.

"It is a cause for concern because we are just coming from war, so we do not want to see a situation where our youths are branding weapons on the street and fighting each other because we do not know where that will take us," said Camara.

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APC leaders train young supporters to avoid violent confrontations with the rival party in Freetown meeting

Camara says the first round of voting saw little violence because there were seven candidates competing, but now with the finish in sight, the candidates themselves are feeling the pressure.

"It is like everybody is desperate to be a leader and that desperation is trickling¹¹ down to their supporters so you see them misbehaving," added Camara.

International observers deemed the first round mostly free and fair. Koroma led Vice President Berewa 44 percent to 38 percent and then received another boost when third-place candidate Charles Margai threw his support behind the opposition leader.

The first round presidential election, held August 11, was the first since thousands of U.N. troops withdrew in 2005.

1 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。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

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 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

7 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

8 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

9 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

10 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

11 trickling   

n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Tears were trickling down her cheeks. 眼泪顺着她的面颊流了下来。
• The engine was trickling oil. 发动机在滴油。 来自《简明英汉词典》