Uganda, Burundi Pledge Additional 4,000 Troops in Somalia

As pro-government troops continue their push to oust¹ Islamist insurgents³ from southern and central Somalia, Uganda and Burundi have pledged additional troops to reinforce the African Union peacekeeping mission.
It has been slightly more than a month since the Somali government launched an offensive against the al-Qaida-linked insurgent² group al-Shabab. While fighting has subsided⁴ in some areas, clashes continue throughout the Gedo region - along the borders of Kenya and Ethiopia - and in the capital, Mogadishu.
With the government claiming significant gains as a result of the fighting, the defense⁵ chiefs of both Uganda and Burundi were in Mogadishu last week to assess the progress of the transitional federal government, as well as the African Union mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM.
AMISOM maintains a force of about 8,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops that are based primarily in Mogadishu. Late Saturday, AMISOM revealed that both countries had pledged an additional 4,000 troops to strengthen the mission.
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and AMISOM forces control only parts of Mogadishu. The spokesperson for the Ugandan People's Defense Force, Felix Kulayigye, told VOA the additional troops would assist government efforts to retake the city.
"With the additional manpower we shall see the Transitional Federal Government being strengthened or given capacity to have more control over the city, and therefore allow it to build capacity to bring peace and stability in that country," said Kulayigye.
The addition of the 4,000 AMISOM troops meets a December request by the UN Security Council to bring the force to 12,000 soldiers. A battalion⁶ of about 1,000 Burundian troops was deployed⁷ earlier this month and the rest of the reinforcements are expected later this year.
The 12,000 AU troops expected in Somalia will provide a significant boost to the beleaguered⁸ peacekeeping force, but the number falls far short of the 20,000 the African Union estimated to be necessary at the start of the mission.
Kulayigye repeated an earlier pledge by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to provide the remaining troops if supported by the international community.
"It is apparent that very few countries, if any beyond the two, are ready and willing to send troops there. Once the logistics are available, then Uganda is ready to do so because we have the will and the capability⁹."
Kulayigye also called on other African countries, particularly Ghana and Nigeria, to commit to earlier pledges of troops for the mission.
With the additional deployment¹⁰, AMISOM hopes to bring Mogadishu back under the control of the Transitional Federal Government. Kulayigye said control of the capital would allow government troops to push into and retake the rest of southern and central Somalia that is currently controlled by al-Shabab.
Last week, Somali Prime Minister Mohammed Abdullahi Mohammed promised to defeat al-Shabab within 90 days.
Somalia has not had a functioning central government since dictator Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown¹¹ by warlords in 1991. For the past four years the government has battled al-Shabab, which seeks to create an Islamic state on the Horn of Africa.

1 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

2 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

3 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

4 subsided   

v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上

参考例句：

• After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后，部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚， 暴风雨已经过去，四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

7 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。

8 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

10 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

11 overthrown   

adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词

参考例句：

• The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
• He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。