2006年VOA标准英语-Hostage Takers in Nigeria Want Neutral Neg

By Nico Colombant
Abidjan
21 February 2006

Local women dry tapioca near a flow station burning gas in Warri, Nigeria  
  
Hostage takers in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta¹ want neutral negotiators to secure the release of nine foreign captives, while local residents say they are the real victims of the renewed cycle of violence.

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In their latest e-mail to journalists, the Movement for the Emancipation² of the Niger Delta said there had been no negotiations³ for the release of the three Americans, two Egyptians, two Thais, one Briton and one Filipino.

Armed militants⁵ seized the nine Saturday while they were laying pipeline⁶ for Anglo-Dutch giant Royal Dutch Shell.

The captors said they want a neutral third party to negotiate. They called the Nigerian government fraudulent.

Their main demands are for the release of two ethnic⁷ Ijaw leaders, one a separatist militant⁴ leader, the other an impeached⁸ governor, and compensation for pollution. They are warning of more attacks, such as blowing up parts of an export terminal and pipelines⁹ as they have in recent days.

The government has set up a panel led by traditional leaders to contact the militants.

But a lawyer who lives in the region, Patrick Owom, says politicians themselves created the militias¹⁰ as a way to rig elections and swindel oil companies.

"The people who get to power are hoodlums. The government are more or less like armed robbers," he said. "You see why we have militants is that these same governments encouraged them and then governments find it difficult sometimes to deal with them because they will need them when they want to come back to power. They are unpopular so they will need thugs to scare people away so that they can rig election results and come back and say we have won."

"So the government actually started the process of thuggery, of violence," continued Owom. "These are their boys who have turned around to fight against them. So until the Nigerian people will be able to vote [for] decent, capable, responsible people, not with guns, the problem of violence will not stop.

An ethnic Ijaw youth, Nwosu Chidi, says whatever the situation, oil workers and oil companies still make lots of money, while local farming fields are polluted, so he does not find it surprising foreigners are being targeted.

"This oil means a lot. Then why are they kidnapping the foreigners? Because they believe the foreigners are not doing their best, if they are doing their best, I think the government will be a little more relaxed," commented Chidi.

The leader of an ethnic Ikwere youth group, Wonodi Kingsley, laments¹¹ the cycle of violence, even if he understands the motives¹² of the militants.

"They believe in their struggle. They believe they can be organized by kidnapping, that is their own belief. But we believe, I personally believe, that it is by negotiations, dialogue," said Kingsley. "But to my own understanding their violence is to be recognized. Government can call them to a negotiating table where they can negotiate this once and for all."

The militants have warned they will kill hostages if they are attacked.

The government has ruled out military action for now, but the kidnappings did immediately follow raids on local communities to hunt down militants.

Previous hostages were released unharmed earlier this year, apparently¹³ for cash.

1 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。

2 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》

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 impeached   

v.控告（某人）犯罪( impeach的过去式和过去分词 )；弹劾；对（某事物）怀疑；提出异议

参考例句：

• Elected officials can be impeached. 经过选举产生的官员可以被弹劾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The judge was impeached for taking a bribe. 这个法官被检举接受贿赂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 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。

10 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

11 laments   

n.悲恸，哀歌，挽歌( lament的名词复数 )v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In the poem he laments the destruction of the countryside. 在那首诗里他对乡村遭到的破坏流露出悲哀。
• In this book he laments the slight interest shown in his writings. 在该书中他慨叹人们对他的著作兴趣微弱。 来自辞典例句

12 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

13 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。