VOA常速英语2008年-Comoros Government Claims Capture of Three Anjo

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
12 March 2008

The government of Comoros says its troops have captured three rebel soldiers during a brief incursion onto the breakaway island of Anjouan.  The incident occurred as African Union troops are arriving for a possible military assault on the island.  VOA's Scott Bobb reports from our Southern Africa Bureau in Johannesburg.

The spokesman for the Comoros government, Education Minister Abdourahim Said Bacar, told VOA the Comoros military made a brief incursion Tuesday onto the breakaway island of Anjouan, which is controlled by dissident Mohamed Bacar.

"There has been a very quick military intervention¹ in Anjouan and three military officers from [Mohamed] Bacar's militia² have been arrested and taken back to Moheli," he said.

The central government on Moheli Island has been gearing up for a military intervention on Anjouan since dissident Mohamed Bacar rejected diplomatic efforts to end the stalemate.

The African Union, Arab League, European Union, and United States announced their support for military intervention after the dissident leader last month rejected their proposal to hold internationally supervised elections or go into exile.

The first contingent³ of 1,700 troops from Tanzania, Senegal, and Sudan began arriving in Comoros this week as part of an AU force with logistical support from Libya.

Mohamed Bacar was elected president of Anjouan Island seven years ago under a union constitution that grants considerable autonomy and a separate president to each of the three islands in the archipelago.  He was re-elected last year in elections that he organized and which were not recognized internationally.

Government spokesman Said Bacar says the rebel leader has committed serious human rights violations⁴ and the Comoros government wants to put him on trial.

"What is happening in Anjouan is inhuman," he said.  "So therefore, we hope that [Mohamed] Bacar will be captured and [taken] to court because of his crimes against humanity in Anjouan."

The government says if the military is successful it will establish an interim⁵ government and organize new elections on Anjouan.  It also plans to investigate allegations of corruption⁶ against the rebels.

During its 32 years of independence, Comoros has experienced several attempted secessions and more than a dozen coups⁷ or attempted coups, some of them led by foreign mercenaries.

1 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

2 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

3 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。

4 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

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 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网