2007年VOA标准英语-Rwanda Provides Training to Somali Army, Says U

By Thomas Rippe
Kigali
23 August 2007

Rwanda's foreign minister says the Rwandan army is providing all the support it can to the Somali national army, but the United Nations needs to do more. Thomas Rippe spoke¹ with Foreign Minister Charles Muligande Thursday in Kigali and filed this report for VOA.

Charles Muligande says Rwanda is providing all the support it can to troubled Somalia. He says it is unable to contribute troops to the African Union mission in Somalia because of its commitments in Darfur. Instead of providing troops, he says Rwanda has accepted a long-term commitment to train Somali forces.

Somali's are trained how to handle assualt rifles, at the Arbiska training camp just outside the Somali capital, Mogadishu, 26 Sep 2006 (file photo)

Muligande says he hopes this will help the Somali government be more independent.

"A Chinese proverb says, 'Instead of giving someone a fish you should teach him how to fish.' And we believe that by training the new national army of Somalia we would be giving probably a better contribution," he said.

The Rwandan government said earlier the training began in May. Minister Muligande would not comment on the number of troops being trained or when they would be deployed². He says providing aid to other nations is part of the mission of the Rwandan army and police, and is a part of the country's constitution. He says Rwanda recognizes the importance of promoting peace and security in the East Africa region and around the continent.

munitions3 in Mogadishu, Somalia, 16 June 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070831/1411101.jpg" width="166" vspace="2" border="0" />

Africa Union soldiers secure area where they prepare to destroy weapons and munitions in Mogadishu, Somalia, 16 June 2007

"It is also our firm belief that Africa cannot develop unless it has peace and security and stability. And our contribution to these African Union peacekeeping missions are in some way our desire to achieve the African Union vision of building a peaceful, united, integrated and prosperous Africa," said Muligande.

The minister expressed frustration⁴ with the United Nations for not providing the logistical support necessary to get more troops into Somalia. He says many African nations are willing to send troops, but lack the resources to make it happen. The African Union has pledged 8,000 troops, but so far only 1,700 have arrived, all from Uganda.

He also expressed his displeasure over a recent Security Council resolution extending the mandate⁵ of the AU mission in Somalia. He says this was a matter for the African Union, not the U.N.

UN Security Council (file photo)

"The U.N. Security Council did not need to extend the mandate of an African mission," said Muligande. "The African mission was deployed there by the African Union, and could have been there without any U.N. Security Council resolution. What we expected from the U.N. Security Council is that of deciding to play its role and to live up to its responsibility of maintaining peace and security in this world, including Somalia."

Muligande says Rwanda is committed to contributing as much as its resources allow to help Somalia rebuild.

1 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。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

4 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

5 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。