VOA常速英语2007年-Tensions Grow in Somalia

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
20 November 2007

In Somalia, the head of a clan¹-based group that has been critical of the presence of Ethiopian troops in the country tells VOA that he has been forced to flee the Somali capital after receiving unspecified threats from officials of the interim² government and their Ethiopian advisors³. Meanwhile, the chairman of Somalia's oldest and best-known human rights group is in hiding, after defying an order from the mayor of Mogadishu to shut down the group's operations country-wide. VOA correspondent Alisha Ryu has more from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.

In a telephone interview with VOA, the chairman of the Hawiye Clan Council, Mohamed Hassan Haad, says he left Mogadishu because he feared for his safety.

The clan elder says he received threats from officials in the Ethiopian-backed interim government, their Ethiopian advisors, and local administration officials. Haad would not say what those threats were, but he says he intends to remain in hiding for the foreseeable future.

Last Sunday, Somali police arrested the spokesman of the Hawiye Council, Ahmed Dirie, who has been accused by government officials of supporting Islamist-led insurgents⁴ battling Ethiopia-led forces in the capital.

Both Haad and Dirie have been critical of Ethiopia's military presence in Somalia, which began last December when Ethiopia helped oust⁵ Somali Islamists from power and backed the current internationally recognized-but-weak government in Mogadishu.

The Hawiye Council, which represents many members of Mogadishu's most dominant⁶ clan, issued a statement Saturday, warning that Ahmed Dirie's arrest and detention⁷ will only bring more instability and violence in the war-torn capital.

Meanwhile, a prominent Somali human rights activist⁸ and head of the Mogadishu-based Elman Human Rights Organization says he, too, has received threats from government officials, and is now in hiding.

VOA was not able to reach the activist, Sudan Ali Ahmed. But in an interview with the Associated Press news agency on Monday, Ahmed said he is being hunted by government troops, after Mogadishu's mayor Mohamed Dheere accused the human rights group of spreading exaggerated and false information about the interim government.

Elman Human Rights received an order more than a month ago to close its offices for what the mayor called security reasons. Ahmed says he could not reach senior government officials to get them to rescind⁹ the order.

Elman, which has been tracking civilian¹⁰ casualties since the insurgency¹¹ began in February, reported last week that nearly 470 people had been killed and 840 others wounded in Mogadishu since Ethiopian and Somali government troops launched a renewed offensive against insurgents last month.

The Horn of Africa researcher for the London-based Amnesty International, Martin Hill, says his group is extremely concerned about what he says is the deteriorating¹² human rights situation in Somalia.

"We do not know exactly what has happened to Sudan Ali Ahmed," said Hill. "We hope he is safe in hiding in Mogadishu. It is very sad that Elman Human Rights has come under threat, because they are not taking any political part in the current insecurity and, like other human rights defenders¹³, are trying to speak up when they can, but unfortunately have to keep silent because of the severe risks to them."

The fighting between the insurgents and the government and its allied¹⁴ forces is believed to have killed thousands of civilians¹⁵ and displaced about one million others.

Human rights groups and civil society leaders in Somalia have blamed all sides for creating what the United Nations now calls the worst humanitarian¹⁶ crisis in Africa.

1 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

2 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

3 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

4 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

5 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

6 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

7 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 rescind   

v.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They accepted his advice and rescinded the original plan.他们听从了他的劝告，撤销了原计划。
• Trade Union leaders have demanded the government rescind the price rise.工会领导已经要求政府阻止价格上涨。

10 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

11 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

12 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

13 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

15 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。

16 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。