VOA慢速英语2015 African Powers Argue After Attacks on Immigrants in S. Africa

AS IT IS 2015-05-04 African Powers Argue After Attacks on Immigrants in S. Africa

Nigeria and South Africa are no strangers to diplomatic disputes. Recently, the Nigerian government told its top diplomats¹ in the South African capital to return home after a series of attacks on foreigners in South Africa. The South African government has sharply criticized the Nigerian action.

Many South African officials have criticized the attacks on African immigrants. At least seven people have died in the violence. Thousands of others were forced from their homes.

The governments of three African countries helped hundreds of their citizens to leave South Africa after the unrest. The three countries are Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. But the Nigerian government was the first in Africa to withdraw its top diplomats from South Africa. Nigeria’s government says it did not officially order the diplomats to return home. It says they were asked to return to Nigeria for “routine” discussions.

But that has done little to stop the sharp disputes between Nigeria and South Africa. This week, the South African Foreign Ministry² released a statement noting Nigeria’s failure to stop Boko Haram militants³. The statement noted⁴ that thousands of people have died in the militants’ campaign of violence against the Nigerian government.

The South African Foreign Ministry also criticized Nigeria’s actions after a church hostel⁵ collapsed⁷ in Lagos last year. The building collapse⁶ killed 84 South Africans. “We did not blame the Nigerian government for the deaths and more than nine months delay” in the return of the bodies, the ministry said.

The diplomatic dispute demonstrates a complex relationship between Africa’s two economic powers.

Their open disagreement over who should head the African Union led to each country expelling the other’s citizens in 2012. Those people were accused of using fake reproductions of yellow fever vaccination⁸ documents.             

Nigeria and South Africa also clashed over the South African science fiction film “District 9.” In the movie, Nigerians are treated like criminals and eat people. Nigerian government officials later banned the film.

Nigerian officials are unhappy about the inclusion of South Africa in the BRICS group of developing countries. The group’s other members are Brazil, Russia, India and China. Nigerian officials also have objected to South Africa describing itself as the “gateway⁹ to Africa.” They note that Nigeria became the largest economy in Africa last year.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries are cool, but business links have grown over the past 10 years. South African investments in Nigeria have risen five times between 2004 and 2010.

Last week, Nigerians gathered near the offices of a South African telecommunications company to protest the attacks on foreigners. The protest took place in the city of Kaduna outside the offices of MTN. One of the protesters, Yusuf Amoke, threatened to attack South African businesses in Nigeria.

“If South Africans are not ashamed, if South Africans are not reasonable enough not to kill our people, not to destroy our businesses, then we Nigerians will also not be reasonable enough to leave their businesses to survive in Nigeria.”

Shadrack Gutto is a professor at the University of South Africa. He notes that both countries would very much like to be named to a permanent African seat on the United Nations Security Council. But the Council’s current members have yet to approve such a seat. Professor Gutto thinks relations between the two countries may improve after a change of presidents in Nigeria.

Words in This Story

strangers – n. people who you do not know or have never met before

foreigners – n. people from another nation; individuals who are not from one’s own place or country

complex – adj. of or having many parts that are difficult to understand; not simple

fake – adj. not true or real

gateway – n. an entrance or opening

cool – adj. not friendly

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 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。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 hostel   

n.（学生）宿舍，招待所

参考例句：

• I lived in a hostel while I was a student.我求学期间住在青年招待所里。
• He says he's staying at a Youth Hostel.他说他现住在一家青年招待所。

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

8 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

9 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。