VOA常速英语2008年-Violence Spreads in Cameroon's Main City, Doual

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
25 February 2008

At least two civilians¹ are reported to have been killed in Douala, Cameroon, where protesters and police have been battling each other since Saturday. The unrest began after authorities blocked a planned opposition² protest against government plans to change to the constitution. Transport workers have also gone on strike to protest rising fuel prices. Naomi Schwarz has more from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar.

Police clashed with demonstrators in and around Douala, the commercial capital of Cameroon. Stores closed, and witnesses say people are afraid to go outside.

Director of Cameroon's International Relations Institute, Narcisse Mouellé Kombe, says he needed a police escort to navigate³ the barricaded⁴ and chaotic⁵ streets as he left the city this morning to return to his office in Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé.

Transport workers, including bus, taxi, and motorcycle taxi drivers, struck nationwide to protest the rising cost of fuel and other basic necessities.

Kombe says Yaoundé is also paralyzed by the transport strike. The roads are empty and no taxis are running.

But he says in Yaoundé, the protest has been peaceful.

In Douala, the transport strike comes at a time when tensions in the city were already high. Violence erupted Saturday and continued on Sunday in response to a planned protest against a proposal by President Paul Biya to eliminate constitutional term limits for the president.

Mr. Biya has been in power since 1982. His party holds a strong majority in parliament, which analysts⁶ believe will give him enough votes to make the change.

Opposition leaders say their supporters gathered on Saturday, despite the decision to postpone⁷ the march after they failed to gain authorization⁸ from the government. Police fired tear gas and water cannons⁹ on the crowd, and the situation deteriorated¹⁰ as demonstrators barricaded the streets, burned tires and market stands, and the police response escalated¹¹.

The government has condemned¹² the violence in Doula and is asking for calm.

International Relations Institute Director Kombe says he believes the opposition is, in his words, adding fuel to the flames, by failing to appeal to their supporters to stop the violence.

But national secretary of the main opposition party, the Social Democratic Front, John Fru Ndi says the population is fighting for their rights.

"There are people who are very angry with the constitutional change, there are people who are very angry with the price hikes of petrol, price hike of cement," he said. "I mean, the country is expensive. So all these things have summed up to give the state of affairs that Cameroon finds itself in."

Demonstrators are also protesting the government closure of a private television station last Thursday. The communications minister said the private station had failed to pay the required fee for an operating license¹³. French-based Reporters without Borders condemned the closure, saying the technicality was merely a pretext¹⁴ for shutting down a station that broadcast opposition views.

1 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。

2 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。

3 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

4 barricaded   

设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守

参考例句：

• The police barricaded the entrance. 警方在入口处设置了路障。
• The doors had been barricaded. 门都被堵住了。

5 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

8 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

9 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

11 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

12 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

13 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

14 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。