2007年VOA标准英语-Latest Somalia Fighting Raises Concerns Over Fu

By Bill Rodgers
Washington
27 April 2007
 

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Somali Transitional Federal Soldiers with an anti-aircraft gun mounted on the pickup and soldiers carrying AK 47s in the street of Mogadishu, 27 Apr 2007

Somalia's Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, is claiming victory over Islamic insurgents² in Mogadishu, and he says fighting in the Somali capital is almost over.  But the latest round of clashes raises concerns about future stability in Somalia and has led to calls on the transitional government to reach out to dissident elements.  VOA's Bill Rodgers reports.

The latest fighting in Mogadishu broke out almost two weeks ago as Ethiopian and Somali forces began a major offensive against Islamic insurgents.  Casualties have been high – and more than 300,000 people are estimated to have fled the city since February, turning Mogadishu into a ghost town.

U.S. officials have called for an end to the fighting, with Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, also urging dialogue.

"I think it is very clear that the key to solving the situation in Somalia and stabilizing³ it is to have this inclusive dialogue,” said Frazier. “And so trying to get the Transitional Federal Government to reach out to the various clans⁴ and sub-clans is a large part of our diplomacy⁵."

In December, Ethiopian troops, with tacit American support, helped the forces of Somalia's transitional government rout⁶ the Islamic Courts militias⁷ that had controlled Mogadishu and much of the country.  Many Somalis welcomed the victory of the transitional government – hoping the restoration of a central government would end some 16 years of anarchy⁸. 

But the transitional government appears to have alienated⁹ some of the powerful Somali clans. 

And David Shinn of George Washington University says it may be too late to reach out to them now. "I do think they missed a huge opportunity in January of this year when they were in a very strong position, the Islamic Courts were very much on the run from Mogadishu, and they had the opportunity then to seriously reach out and share power with moderate elements of the Islamic Courts, with some of the business people that were supporting the Courts, they didn't reach out sufficiently¹⁰ to these groups and I think that basically has backfired," said the professor.

Despite military setbacks, many analysts¹¹ say the Islamist militias will remain active -- and further unrest in Somalia appears likely.  This could have wider repercussions¹², with some experts citing the rebel attack against a Chinese-run oil facility in Ethiopia as having links to the unrest in Somalia.  Professor Shinn sees the attack as part of a rise in terrorism in the region.

"Local groups for their own purposes are engaging in terrorist activities, it isn't necessarily related to al-Qaida or any international grouping at all.  But it's the use of terrorist tactics to gain your political ends and this is happening with much greater frequency."  

Somalia's Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, says fighting in Mogadishu is almost over and that the Islamist insurgents have been defeated.  But it is not certain that the peace will last.

1 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

2 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

3 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

4 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

5 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

6 rout   

n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮

参考例句：

• The enemy was put to rout all along the line.敌人已全线崩溃。
• The people's army put all to rout wherever they went.人民军队所向披靡。

7 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

8 anarchy   

n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• There would be anarchy if we had no police.要是没有警察，社会就会无法无天。
• The country was thrown into a state of anarchy.这国家那时一下子陷入无政府状态。

9 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

11 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。

12 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》