VOA标准英语2008年-Fears of Military Clash Growing Between Somalil

Residents in the town of Las Qoray in a disputed region between Somaliland and Puntland say there are signs of an impending¹ military clash between the two regional rivals, following the take over of the strategic coastal² town two days ago by Somaliland troops. As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, tension between Somaliland and Puntland began escalating³ about two weeks ago when Somali pirates arrived in the Las Qoray area with four hostages.

Las Qoray resident Mohamed Aynab tells VOA that the town is at the center of a brewing⁴ conflict and scared residents are preparing to flee.

Aynab says people in Las Qoray are terrified and confused by the sudden presence of Somaliland troops in their town and Puntland threats to take it back by force. He says Somaliland authorities are now in charge of Las Qoray.

The trouble began soon after Puntland-based pirates moved to the mountains near Las Qoray in the disputed Sanag region with four hostages they kidnapped last month off the coast of Somalia near Yemen.

Sanag's regional Governor Mohamed Said Nur says local elders asked Puntland to temporarily withdraw its forces in the area and give the elders a chance to negotiate with the pirates for the release of the hostages.

The governor, who is loyal to the Puntland government, says there was fear that the pirates could kill the westerners if they felt threatened by soldiers and that is why the troops pulled out of the Las Qoray area last week. He says Somaliland took advantage of the situation and moved its troops in.

VOA was unable to reach Somaliland officials for comment. In media reports, Somaliland officials said that its troops entered Las Qoray to mount a rescue of the hostages. A Somaliland military commander told Reuters news agency that his troops had the pirates surrounded and that the area had been sealed off.

Governor Nur insists that local elders are still negotiating with the pirates. He says if the negotiations⁵ fail, Puntland troops would be redeployed to Las Qoray, raising fears that the two sides could fight over control of the town.

Since 1998, semi-autonomous Puntland has claimed Sanag, and its neighboring Sool region, as sovereign territory based on the ethnic⁶ make-up of the region's inhabitants and their clan⁷ ties to Puntland.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but is not internationally recognized, claims both regions based on the colonial border drawn⁸ by the British.

The disputed strip of desert has been the site of numerous skirmishes. Two major battles took place just in the past year.

Last October, the two rivals clashed over control of Las Anod, the capital of Sool. Five months later, they exchanged heavy gunfire in the town of Dahar in the Sanag region.

Each prompted warnings that a full-scale war could break out and further destabilize Somalia and the Horn.

1 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

2 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

3 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

4 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 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。

7 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。

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。