VOA常速英语2007年-Somali Opposition Says Rebels Threaten to Step

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
05 November 2007

In a worrying sign that insurgent¹ violence in the Somali capital could escalate² further, the deputy chairman of the Eritrea-based Somali opposition³ group tells VOA that well armed rebels are prepared to step up attacks against Ethiopian troops in the city. The comments follow reports that hundreds of additional Ethiopian troops have poured into Mogadishu in recent days to bolster⁴ government soldiers battling an Islamist-led insurgency⁵. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has details from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.

The First Deputy Chairman of the recently-formed opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia, Zakaria Mahamud Abdi, spoke⁶ to VOA from an undisclosed location near the Somali capital.

Abdi says the numerous convoys⁷ of Ethiopian military vehicles and heavily-armed troops seen moving into Mogadishu since Saturday have boosted the morale⁸ of the rebels, who launched a new offensive against Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu late last month.

"It shows that the Ethiopians are desperate," said Abdi. "It means they cannot manage the situation. The regime in Addis Ababa thinks that Somalis will be subdued⁹ by their military machine. I assure you it will never happen. We have freedom fighters who are fighting the occupation of the Ethiopians. Ethiopians will be the ones, who will be compelled to retreat and withdraw."

Week-long gun battles and artillery¹⁰ duels¹¹, at times matching the intensity¹² of the fighting that destroyed parts of the city in March and April of this year, have killed and wounded scores of people and have sent as many as 90,000 residents fleeing to safety.

Many have reportedly joined hundreds of thousands of other residents who fled earlier battles in squalid camps on the outskirts¹³ of the capital.

Abdi says he regrets the civilian¹⁴ casualties and suffering, but he blames Somalia's historical enemy, Ethiopia, for the violence that began in February, shortly after the Ethiopian military defeated Somalia's ruling Islamic Courts Union and installed the country's internationally recognized but unpopular transitional federal government in its place.

Some Ethiopian troops have been accused of committing serious crimes and mistreating Somalis, further fueling the insurgency.

Abdi declined to say whether the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia - made up of exiled Islamist leaders, former interim¹⁵ parliament and Somali diaspora members - is involved in coordinating¹⁶ insurgent activities in Mogadishu or how many fighters the group controls.

But he says that alliance fighters are ordinary citizens and not radical¹⁷ members of the Shabbab, which has carried out many of the numerous suicide attacks, roadside bombings and assassinations¹⁸ of government officials.

Shabbab fighters, led by men trained by al-Qaida and the Taliban, are fighting not only to throw Ethiopians out of Somalia, but to return the country to strict, Islamic rule.

The spokesman for Ethiopia's Ministry¹⁹ of Foreign Affairs, Wahide Belay, would not comment on Ethiopian troop reinforcements in Mogadishu.

But he denied that Somali insurgent groups have popular support.

"Of course, they are doing their terrorist acts, attacking here and there, hiding here and there," said Belay. "That is true. But that does not show they are getting stronger and stronger. We are getting reports that people are working very closely with the TFG [transitional federal government] forces and our security forces to secure their environment and everything. So, we hope that in the very near future, we will be able, with the TFG forces, to wipe out those insurgents²⁰, who are hiding in some parts of Mogadishu."

Ethiopia has said that it wants to pull its troops out of Somalia, but will only do so when a full contingent²¹ of peacekeepers from the African Union can replace them.

Only 1,600 soldiers from Uganda are in Somalia so far, leaving a shortfall of 6,400 troops.

1 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

2 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

3 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。

4 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

5 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

8 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

9 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

10 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

11 duels   

n.两男子的决斗( duel的名词复数 )；竞争，斗争

参考例句：

• That's where I usually fight my duels. 我经常在那儿进行决斗。” 来自英语晨读30分（初三）
• Hyde Park also became a favourite place for duels. 海德公园也成了决斗的好地方。 来自辞典例句

12 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

13 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

15 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。

16 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

17 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。

18 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

19 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

20 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

21 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。