12月21日，联合国特派团在刚果（金）东部地区重新部署维和部队，以保护无辜平民的安全和制止反政府武装继续采取军事行动。外电报道如下：A senior UN official has said the recent upsurge in violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo appears to be abating¹.

UN peacekeepers moved in on Tuesday to create a buffer² zone between rival factions³ of the Congolese army.

The two sides have been fighting to control an area near Rwanda.

A UK parliament report seen exclusively by the BBC says arms-smuggling in the area is so widespread it is encouraging armed groups to restart the war.

Buffer zone表示“缓冲地带”，即处于两股敌对势力或交战双方间，用来阻止冲突的中间地带。Buffer表示“缓冲器”，泛指任何可供缓冲的事物，如减震器，保险杠，消声器，缓冲溶液，预备金等。来看一个例句：A sense of humor may have served as a buffer against the shocks of disappointment（幽默感或许可以当作受到失望打击时的缓冲物。）

据悉，刚果（金）政府军和反政府武装19日在北基伍省爆发激烈战斗，持续一周的冲突已造成大约10万平民逃离家园。维和部队将在卡尼亚巴永加镇和卢贝罗镇之间建立一个临时缓冲地带，以便隔离政府军和反政府武装。