2007年VOA标准英语-Somalis, Aid Groups Count Casualties in Recent

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
10 April 2007

Aid agencies and Somali elders are coming to terms with the after-effects of recent violence in Somalia's capital that has been described as the worst fighting since civil war broke out in 1991. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

Mar1 2007 during heavy fightings in the city" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070530/1455240.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Smoke is seen on a general view of Mogadishu during heavy fightings in the city, 21 Mar 2007

Hawiye clan² elders calculate that more than 1,000 people were killed in Mogadishu between March 29 and April 1.

The battle was between Somali government and Ethiopian troops on the one side and insurgents³ and clan members on the other.

Caught in the crossfire⁴ were civilians⁵, including small children.

Many of those who survived the fighting fled Mogadishu. The U.N. refugee agency estimates that 124,000 people left Mogadishu since February.

U.N. refugee agency spokeswoman Millicent Mutuli tells VOA that many of those who fled are now facing extreme hardships on the run in different parts of Somalia.

"People basically do not have assistance," she  said.  "Humanitarian⁶ agencies are not present in these areas. People are basically left to their own devices for the last couple of weeks. There are reports of illness, there were reports of diarrhea because people do not have access to clean drinking water."

Mutuli says complicating⁷ the peoples' plight⁸ is the closure of the Kenyan border, which means those on the run do not have access to assistance such as food and shelter at refugee camps in Kenya.

It is difficult to assess the exact damage of the fighting. While the elders give a death toll⁹ of more than 1,000, the Somali aid group Center for Peace and Democracy says that some 540 people were killed primarily by gunfire and artillery¹⁰ shelling. The group estimates that more than 1,000 were injured.

The elders say more than 4,300 people were injured during the fighting and that damage to property was about $1.5 billion.

Ethiopian troops came to Somalia at the end of last year to help the interim¹¹ government oust¹² the Islamic Courts Union, which had taken control over Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia.

Although the Islamists eventually were defeated, the Ethiopian troops still remained in Somalia. Insurgents have been attacking the troops and Ugandan soldiers stationed in Mogadishu as part of the African Union's peacekeeping mission.

Since Somalia's civil war broke out in 1991, militias¹³ loyal to clan and sub-clan-based factions¹⁴ have controlled different parts of the country, with no central authority to provide law and order or basic services to the population.

A transitional Somali parliament was formed in Kenya more than two years ago, following a regionally led peace process.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 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。

3 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

4 crossfire   

n.被卷进争端

参考例句：

• They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
• When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。

5 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。

6 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。

7 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

8 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

9 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

10 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

11 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。

12 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。

13 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

14 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别