2007年VOA标准英语-New Round of Violence in Somali Capital

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
26 January 2007

A mortar¹ attack and shootings are the latest violence to hit the Somali capital, which is struggling to regain² stability after Ethiopian-backed government forces ousted³ Islamists who controlled the capital for much of last year. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

An Ethiopian military truck drives through the Afgooye settlement in Mogadishu while leaving its position, 24 Jan 2007

Witnesses in Mogadishu reported at least two people were shot dead during the night, and the capital remained tense Friday.

A reporter with the French news agency, Ali Musa, tells VOA mortars⁴ were fired overnight in Mogadishu.

"Three to four rounds of mortar have been landing at Madina vicinity, which is a poor neighborhood," he said.  "The mortars were not heavy ones, according to experts. One hit a mosque⁵ and the other one hit an abandoned school, and the third one was just coming into the neighborhood. It has wounded a small girl, who is about 15 years old."

The Somali capital has been plagued by sporadic⁶ violence since government forces backed by Ethiopian troops drove out radical⁷ Islamic militias⁸ last month.

Musa says the Islamic Courts Union's strict rules helped quell⁹ violence in the city, where the internationally backed government is now struggling to gain control.

"There is a declining security situation in Mogadishu," he added.  "The Islamic Courts had imposed some strict laws and institutions in the Somali capital, and has been making the streets safer than before."

Ethiopian forces have been supporting Somali government troops in first chasing away fighters of the Islamic Courts Union, and then attempting to bring stability to the capital.

Observers fear that the retreat of the Islamists from the capital and other key posts throughout the south, and the withdrawal¹⁰ of Ethiopian troops will create a security vacuum and a possible return to the warlordism that plagued the country since civil war broke out in 1991.

The Somali government, the African Union and the United States are among those pushing for an African peacekeeping force to be sent into Somalia, with the African Union approving a plan to send 8,000 troops into the volatile¹¹ country.

Uganda and Malawi have officially offered to supply troops, with South Africa, Libya, Tanzania, Angola, and Congo among those countries said to be considering sending personnel.

Somalia's transitional government was formed in Kenya more than two years ago following a peace process.

1 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

2 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

3 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

4 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分

5 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

6 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

7 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。

8 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

9 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

10 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

11 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。