VOA常速英语2007年-Nigeria Rejects Plans to Host US African Milita

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
20 November 2007

Nigeria has rejected plans to host the U.S. African military command, or AFRICOM, on the continent. The government's position was announced at the end of President Umaru Yar'Adua's meeting with state governors and several of the country's leading political figures. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports from Abuja.

 

The goal of U.S. military's new Africa-wide command is to better protect America's strategic interests in Africa and assist African countries with military training and conflict prevention.

 

But a growing number of African countries - including Libya and South Africa - have expressed a concern over Africom's move to the continent. Many have expressed reservations that the move could signal an expansion of U.S. influence on the continent and may focus primarily on protecting oil interests.

While Nigeria has been among the most vocal¹ of critics, this the first time that Africa's most populous² nation and a top source of U.S.oil imports, has come out publicly against the plan.

On Monday, Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua said he is also opposed to the U.S. command establishing a presence elsewhere in West Africa.

 

Peter Egom, a senior research fellow at the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs, says the United States is primarily expanding its military presence in Africa to protect its interest in the region's oil resource.

He says the time has come for the United States to deepen ties with Africa.

 

"America does not have to come to Africa to defend her interest. American needs to have willing partners, co-operative partners, to defend American interests in Africa," said Egom.

 

Africom currently operates out of existing U.S. bases on the continent with a headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Liberia, settled by freed American slaves in the 1800s, is the only African nation that has publicly offered to host a headquarters.

1 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

2 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。