2007年VOA标准英语-Somaliland Troops Clash with Puntland Forces

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
12 April 2007

Officials in the breakaway republic of Somaliland say their forces clashed with troops from the semi-autonomous Puntland region earlier this week over a disputed strip of desert that has been the source of violence for years.  As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, analysts² say rising tensions between the two regions is further complicating³ efforts to pacify⁴ the Horn of Africa.

A statement issued by the Somaliland Information Ministry⁵ says that Puntland security forces in nearly 24 trucks, most mounted with heavy weapons, attacked the town of Dahar early Monday morning.

Somaliland says one person was killed and three others wounded in subsequent fighting, but it did not say which side suffered the casualties.

Dahar is located near the border of Somaliland and Puntland in a region called Sanag.  Sanag, along with neighboring Sool region, has been the site of numerous clashes between the two sides for more than a decade.

Somaliland, the former colony of British Somaliland, declared itself an independent republic in 1991, after the fall of Somalia's last government. It says the Sanag and Sool regions are part of its territory under the colonial border left by the British. 

Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in Somalia, says Sanag and Sool are part of Puntland, because both regions are inhabited by Somalis belonging to the Puntland-based Harti clan⁶.

In a telephone interview with VOA, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Puntland police force, Abdul Aziz, insisted that his men entered Dahar to defend Puntland territory.  

"Those people from Somaliland, they wanted to capture our land, you see, and it is impossible," he said.  "We are Harti and our land is Harti land."

Residents in Dahar say the situation remains⁷ extremely tense.  Somaliland and Puntland commanders have reportedly called for reinforcements in preparation for a bigger battle.

Horn of Africa analyst¹ Iqbal Jhazbay at the University of South Africa says he believes tensions are escalating⁸ because Puntland feels threatened by recent efforts by Somaliland to strengthen local governing structures in Sanag and Sool regions. 

He says Puntland is also alarmed about a visit four Somaliland legislators made on Wednesday to the town of Buhodle in southeastern Togdheer region, adjacent to the Ethiopian border.  Although the town is well inside Somaliland territory, Puntland also claims it on an ethnic⁹ basis.  

Jhazbay says the simmering border dispute has now reached the point where an all-out war is possible.

"What is seriously required is for the international community to look at a way to mediate¹⁰ this and demarcate the border once and for all," he noted¹¹.  "If the issue is not resolved, this could fester and could very well lead to what I refer to as the Ethiopian-Eritrean debacle, with a huge loss of life."

Horn of African rivals Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war between 1998 and 2000, which is believed to have killed tens of thousands of people. 

That border dispute remains unresolved and analysts have expressed deep concern that the two countries are now engaged in a proxy¹² war in southern and central Somalia.

1 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

2 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。

3 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

4 pacify   

vt.使(某人)平静(或息怒)；抚慰

参考例句：

• He tried to pacify the protesters with promises of reform.他试图以改革的承诺安抚抗议者。
• He tried to pacify his creditors by repaying part of the money.他为安抚债权人偿还了部分借款。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 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

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

10 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。