VOA标准英语2009年-Growing Disenchantment Threatens Niger

Gilbert da Costa | Abuja 26 December 2009

Nigeria's fragile truce¹ with rebels in the oil-rich Niger Delta² appears to be under serious threat. Former militants⁴ are protesting the non-payment of allowances and militants have blown up an oil pipeline⁵ in a "warning strike" over delays in peace talks.

More than 8,000 Nigerian armed youths gave up their weapons and embraced an amnesty offered by the government in a bid to end years of conflict in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

But hopes for peace are fading because of delays in implementing⁶ the peace process following President Umaru Yar'Adua's hospitalization in Saudi Arabia in November.

Mr.Yar'Adua's absence has caused negotiations⁷ to stall. It has also delayed funding for the project.

A human rights activist⁸ in the Niger Delta, Omo Irabor, says the long absence of Mr.Yar'Adua has ended any prospect⁹ of achieving peace under the amnesty program.

"The president is sick, the country is sick," he said. "And the Niger Delta amnesty is just not sick but is doomed¹⁰ and failed. Let us for example loot at Delta and Bayelsa states. Do you know that people who go there and collect money are not people who were militants? You can imagine the type of people Nigerians are. So definitely amnesty or no amnesty, the purpose of the federal government has failed and doomed for ever."

Nigeria's main rebel group said last week it attacked an oil pipeline operated by Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron¹¹, ending a two-month truce. Hundreds of former militants have staged protests over the non-payment of their allowances.

Still, not everyone is pessimistic. Edward Oformeh, a lawyer in Warri, the main oil city in Delta state, remains¹² hopeful about the chances of forging a lasting¹³ peace in the delta.

"There is no time fixed¹⁴ for them to start all these things. It must be gradual," said Oformeh. "They themselves they should not be too eager, they should not be too quick at wanting results. It takes time to plant and it takes time for what you have planted to grow and for you to harvest. So they should give it time to mature."

Activists¹⁵ say the government has not delivered on promises it made during an amnesty period earlier this year and that the region, which is home to Africa's biggest oil and gas industry, risks returning to violence.

Militant³ attacks on the oil industry in the vast wetlands region have crippled oil production in Nigeria, costing it an estimated one billion dollars per month.

A previous attempt at disarmament under President Yar'Adua's predecessor¹⁶ Olusegun Obasanjo in 2004 broke down as factions¹⁷ argued over the money promised for their weapons.
 

1 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

2 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

6 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

10 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

11 chevron   

n.V形臂章；V形图案

参考例句：

• He wore shoulderstrap rank slides with sergeant's chevrons.他佩戴标示级别的肩章，上面有中士的V形标志。
• The chevron or arrow road sign indicates a sharp bend to the left or right.V形或箭头路标表示有向左或向右的急转弯。

12 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。

13 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

14 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

15 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

17 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别