2007年VOA标准英语-Reports Say Top Islamic Leader In Somalia Has T

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
22 January 2007

One of the top leaders of the Somali Islamist movement is reportedly in U.S. and Kenyan custody¹ in Nairobi, three weeks after Somali government and Ethiopian troops ousted² the Islamic Courts Union from power. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi has details.

Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed (Dec 2006)

The U.S. Embassy here declined to confirm media reports that Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed is under American protection in a Nairobi hotel.

But the reports say the Somali Islamist leader, who was the chairman of the Executive Council of the once-powerful Islamic Courts Union, was flown to Nairobi after he arrived in Kenya in recent days.

Since the Islamist leadership abandoned Mogadishu late last month, Somali government and Ethiopian troops, backed up by the U.S. military, have been hunting for radical³ leaders and their al-Qaida allies in an Islamist stronghold in the southern-most tip of the country.

It is not clear where Ahmed was when he made his decision to come to Kenya. But the high-level protection he is receiving in Nairobi strongly indicates that U.S. and Kenyan officials view the cleric as a man who could play a vital role in Somalia's post-Islamist reconciliation⁴ efforts.

Last week, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger described Ahmed as a moderate leader, with whom the two-year-old interim⁵ government could and should open a dialogue.

He said, "He is a recognized moderate and a respected figure, and there may be other moderates, who were associated with the Islamic Courts who could play a significant role in the future of the country."

Somalia's secular⁶ government, which frequently described the Islamic Courts Union as being led by terrorists, has reacted coolly to U.S. and European Union calls to hold peace talks with all segments of Somali society, including Islamists, to promote national reconciliation.

President Abdullahi Yusuf and Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi have held peace talks with Somali clan⁷ elders and factional leaders. But so far, religious leaders have not been included in the talks.

Meanwhile, government leaders, who are trying to consolidate⁸ power with the aid of Ethiopia's military, are grappling with escalating⁹ violence in the capital.

The revival¹⁰ of traditional clan rivalries¹¹ and resentment¹² of Somalis over the presence of Ethiopian troops have prompted fears that the country could rapidly destabilize.

The U.N. Security Council and the African Union have approved an eight-thousand member African peacekeeping force to replace the Ethiopian troops. The United States, which does not want Somalia to be a lawless haven¹³ for Muslim extremists, has offered $16 million to help cover the cost of the peacekeeping mission.

But if the violence continues, analysts¹⁴ say few countries are likely to contribute troops.

1 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

2 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

5 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

6 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

7 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

8 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

9 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

10 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

11 rivalries   

n.敌对，竞争，对抗( rivalry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new government was torn by rivalries. 新政府由于各派对立而四分五裂。 来自辞典例句
• Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. 竞争会带来痛苦、仇恨，或者引起争斗。 来自互联网

12 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

13 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

14 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。