VOA标准英语2010年-Former Ivory Coast Rebels Warn of Civi

Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo (R) speaks with Ivorian Defense¹ minister Amani N'guessan (L) at presidential palace in Abidjan, 30 Nov 2009

Ivory Coast's former rebel faction² in the North, the New Forces, warn that election-related violence and tensions over alleged³ fraud in the voter list could once again plunge⁴ the country into civil war.

Spokesman for the New Forces, Sidiki Konaté, delivered the ex-rebels' statement Monday in Bouaké.

He says that in places there is a real danger today to the peaceful coexistence of our communities. He says the New Forces, who have worked for many years to maintain this peaceful coexistence, now find that the communities are ready to attack each other. What we have, he says, are the seeds of a civil war. Each side is arming itself.

The New Forces also called for the disarmament of militia's loyal to President Gbagbo.

The presidential poll is an attempt to find a lasting⁵ political solution to nearly a decade of internal conflict in the once stable West African nation, but voter registration⁶ issues have pushed back the election several times since President Laurent Gbagbo's mandate⁷ ran out in 2005.

Mounting frustration⁸ has erupted into violent protests outside courthouses around the country since last week.

An administrative⁹ building was burned at a protest Tuesday morning in Vavoua, a city in central Ivory Coast that is still under control by former rebels. In M'Batto, also in central Ivory Coast, one person died and thirty were injured in clashes between northerners and local residents. Protests broke out Monday in Zouan Hounien near the Liberian border and in Zuenola to the west of the country.

Observers say recent political rows over the voter list show just how far the country is from resolving the question of nationality. It was at the heart of the civil war in 2002 and remains¹⁰ sensitive in Ivory Coast, which has a large immigrant population.

On Friday, an Ivorian tribunal confirmed evidence of "fraud" in the voter list being prepared for the upcoming poll. President Gbagbo had accused the Independent Electoral Commission of approving a voter list that contained almost a half million foreigners. Electoral commission head, Robert Mambé, disputes those allegations.

Also Friday, thousands of people stormed the courthouse in Man, near the Liberian border, accusing the magistrate¹¹ of trying to strike them from the voter list. More than 150 names had been removed.

Opposition¹² members have accused Mr. Gbagbo's camp of pressuring magistrates¹³ to remove people from the voter list and of stalling elections to remain in power.

The New Forces have denounced what they called attempts to remove northerners from the voter rolls, by questioning their nationality without proof.

President Gbagbo has not issued a reaction to Monday's statement by the New Forces, but he has sent the Ivorian Interior Minister to Ouagadougou to meet with Burkinabé president and mediator¹⁴, Blaise Compaoré.

Former rebel leader and current prime minister, Guillaume Soro, continues to call for calm.

The vote is currently planned for March, but observers fear these recent disputes will once again delay the poll.

 

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

3 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

4 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

7 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

8 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

9 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 magistrate   

n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官

参考例句：

• The magistrate committed him to prison for a month.法官判处他一个月监禁。
• John was fined 1000 dollars by the magistrate.约翰被地方法官罚款1000美元。

12 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。

13 magistrates   

地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
• He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。

14 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。