2007年VOA标准英语-Analysts: Nigeria May Be Hot Spot For Terrorism

By Kari Barber
Dakar
10 January 2007

While current U.S. military attention is focused on removing possible al-Qaida cells in Somalia, some analysts² say terrorist threats from other parts of Africa should also be closely monitored. They say Nigeria's violence-wracked, oil-rich Niger Delta³ could become a new theater for terrorism. For VOA, Kari Barber reports from our regional bureau in Dakar.

brandishes4 his weapon in a show of strength for reporters <br/> (File photo)" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070515/1603420.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Nigerian separatist rebel brandishes his weapon in a show of strength for reporters (File photo)

Analysts say religious and ethnic⁵ divisions coupled with state corruption⁶ and severe poverty in parts of West Africa provide fertile grounds for terrorist groups.

Rampant⁷ violence and kidnappings in the Niger Delta have analysts examining the roots of the region's discontent. They say poor access to basic social services, gross inequality of wealth and government neglect have created a vacuum for militants⁹ to exploit .

International policy analyst¹ J. Peter Pham has written columns for a defense¹⁰ publication warning that West Africa could provide a welcoming terrain¹¹ for international terrorism.

Pham says he believes violence in the Niger Delta is taking on a radical¹² Islamic dimension.

"One cannot ignore the fact that the current, if you will, resistance movement, there in the delta, the Movement for the Emancipation¹³ of the Niger Delta, has outside sources and there is reason to believe that the outside support does come from militant⁸ Islamic groups who are exploiting the legitimate¹⁴ grievances¹⁵ in the delta for their own ends," he said.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, has stepped up its kidnappings and attacks at Western oil facilities. It has also started claiming a string of car bombings, a tactic¹⁷ that has been used very little by violent groups in West Africa. The group says it wants a more equitable¹⁸ distribution of wealth for the underdeveloped region. It also demands the release of movement leader Moujahid Dokubo-Asari who is in prison for sedition¹⁹.

Asari has drawn²⁰ parallels between his struggle against the Nigerian government and Osama Bin¹⁶ Laden²¹'s terrorist activities.

Pham cites Asari's reference to Bin Laden and the similarities MEND'S attacks bear to those of Middle Eastern terrorist groups as proof that the group is becoming intertwined with Islamic militancy²².

But many Nigerian commentators²³ disagree with this view.

Nassir Abbas of the northern-based Civil Rights Congress says citing religion as a cause for the increasing unrest distracts from solving the root problems. He says alleviating²⁴ unemployment and poverty would remove religion from the equation.

Abbas says the conflict in the Niger Delta is domestic and does not reflect a larger threat to U.S. security.

"It is just an internal problem," he said. "Once that is addressed, you will not have any spillover. The government of the United States of America has been supportive of Nigeria ever since. So I would not think it would transgress²⁵ to meet the interests of the United States, no not at all."

Analysts, both inside and outside Nigeria, do agree the violence is extremely worrisome.

Paul Wee, who is program officer for religion and peacemaking at the U.S. institute for Peace, says the stability of Nigeria is paramount²⁶ to the stability of the region because of its size, energy production and balance of Christian²⁷ and Islamic populations.

Wee says that although the pressure is there, he does not expect Nigeria to fall to extremists.

"They are quite aware of the fact that some of the influence comes from other parts of Africa and the Middle East that would like to see more disruption and more anarchy²⁸, more chaos²⁹, but I think to the credit of Nigerians they have rejected this," he said.

Nigeria is scheduled to hold presidential elections in April. Analysts say a smooth democratic process is crucial to regional security as well as energy interests in the United States. Nigeria is the fifth largest supplier of oil to the United States.

1 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 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。

4 brandishes   

v.挥舞( brandish的第三人称单数 )；炫耀

参考例句：

• He never brandishes his intellect. 他从不炫耀自己有多聪明。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She brandishes twin blaster pistols in a pair of hip holsters. 她喜欢在头上戴一朵大红花。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

8 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。

9 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。

10 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。

11 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

12 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

13 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》

14 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

15 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

17 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

18 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

19 sedition   

n.煽动叛乱

参考例句：

• Government officials charged him with sedition.政府官员指控他煽动人们造反。
• His denial of sedition was a denial of violence.他对煽动叛乱的否定又是对暴力的否定。

20 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

21 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

22 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

23 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 alleviating   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• If it's alleviating pain,who knows what else it's doing? 如果它减轻了疼痛，天知道还影响什么？
• Measuring poverty is not the same as alleviating it, of course. 当然，衡量贫困和减轻贫困是截然不同的。

25 transgress   

vt.违反，逾越

参考例句：

• Your words must't transgress the local laws .你的言辞不能违反当地法律。
• No one is permitted to have privileges to transgress the law. 不允许任何人有超越法律的特权。

26 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

27 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

28 anarchy   

n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• There would be anarchy if we had no police.要是没有警察，社会就会无法无天。
• The country was thrown into a state of anarchy.这国家那时一下子陷入无政府状态。

29 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。