2006年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Militants Launch New Attacks; For

By Nico Colombant
Abidjan
18 February 2006

Nigerian militants¹ in the oil-rich Niger Delta² have launched a new wave of attacks, including the kidnapping of nine foreign oil workers. The militants are threatening total war on the Nigerian military, and have warned all foreigners to leave the area.

-------------------------------------------------

Man stands near gas flare³ in Niger Delta area  
  

The armed militants, traveling in speedboats, seized the nine foreigners on a pipe-laying barge⁴ near the Forcados export oil terminal.

The nine, identified as three Americans, a Briton, two Egyptians, two Thais and one Filipino, work for the U.S.-based oil services company, Willbros.

The Movement for the Emancipation⁵ of the Niger Delta claimed responsibility for the attack in e-mails sent out to journalists.

They also attacked the oil terminal, operated by Anglo-Dutch giant Royal Dutch Shell, and blew up pipelines⁶ in the same area near the city of Warri. They said five soldiers were killed.

This was not confirmed. Military officials did not immediately comment about details of the violence.

A local journalist, Aminu Bello Sahabi, spoke⁷ with the militants, and said they were angry at the government for not taking their threats against foreigners seriously.

"They have given them the ultimatum⁸ to vacate the area as of yesterday by midnight. So, this morning, I was able to talk with one of the militants. They are stating they want those people to leave the Niger Delta now, because the Nigerian government could not succumb⁹ to their demands," he said.

Sahabi says these demands are increasing.

"They are claiming they have property in the Niger Delta, (they want) environmental (security) and other things," he said. " In the totality, militants want to take over the control of the Niger Delta. So, the Nigerian government could not allow this."

He says the militants were also angry about recent military raids against their positions, which they said killed civilians¹⁰ in majority ethnic¹¹ Ijaw communities.

The group originated from ethnically-based militias¹² backing corrupt¹³ politicians, as well as criminal gangs trying to get racket money from oil companies, but it has recently presented itself as a violent populist movement.

They held on to four foreign hostages for 19 days during an earlier wave of attacks this year, before handing them over unharmed, apparently¹⁴ for cash. Oil violence in Africa's biggest exporter, and even threats of it, usually reduce its production and propel world prices higher.

1 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。

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 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

4 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

5 emancipation   

n.（从束缚、支配下）解放

参考例句：

• We must arouse them to fight for their own emancipation. 我们必须唤起他们为其自身的解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They rejoiced over their own emancipation. 他们为自己的解放感到欢欣鼓舞。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 ultimatum   

n.最后通牒

参考例句：

• This time the proposal was couched as an ultimatum.这一次该提议是以最后通牒的形式提出来的。
• The cabinet met today to discuss how to respond to the ultimatum.内阁今天开会商量如何应对这道最后通牒。

9 succumb   

v.屈服，屈从；死

参考例句：

• They will never succumb to the enemies.他们决不向敌人屈服。
• Will business leaders succumb to these ideas?商业领袖们会被这些观点折服吗？

10 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

11 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。

12 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

13 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

14 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。