2007年VOA标准英语-African Union Peacekeepers Take Up Duties in So

By Alisha Ryu
Mogadishu
02 May 2007

In the Somali capital, Mogadishu, several days of calm have allowed some African Union peacekeepers from Uganda to move out of their barracks for the first time since their arrival in March. From Mogadishu, VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has this report.

Africa Union (AU) troops patrol a street in Mogadishu, 01 May 2007

African Union troops in white armored personnel carriers rumbled¹ through neighborhoods near the Mogadishu Airport Wednesday morning, giving many Somalis their first glimpse of the 1,400 Ugandan peacekeepers.

Some of the peacekeepers were reported sent to the outskirts² of the city to protect campsites of tens of thousands of Somalis displaced during three months of vicious fighting between Somali insurgents³ and Ethiopian troops, who are backing the transitional government.

Other peacekeepers remained on stand-by inside a dilapidated compound in a strategic area of Mogadishu, known as Kilometer Four.

The troop commander in the area, Lieutenant⁴ Michael Okelokengo, tells VOA that because the peacekeepers are still assessing the security situation after clashes in Mogadishu ended five days ago, his men have not yet conducted extensive patrols in the city.

"At the moment, we do not go much into patrols because of the situation as it used to be," he said. We just do our observations and at times, small patrols."

A European Union security advisor⁵ recently criticized the Ugandan peacekeepers for failing to act in preventing the deaths of nearly 1,500 Somali civilians⁶ in the worst fighting the capital has seen in nearly two decades.

But supporters say the peacekeepers had little chance to intervene because they, too, have been the target of near daily attacks since they arrived in Mogadishu two months ago.

Anti-Ethiopian and anti-government insurgents, including Islamist fighters, welcomed the Ugandans with a mortar⁷ barrage⁸. Continuing attacks forced the peacekeepers to largely confine themselves to the area around the airport.

The Ugandan troops, who have a six-month mandate⁹, expect at least 6,500 more peacekeepers from several African Union member states to back them up.

But those troops have not arrived, placing most of the burden of securing Mogadishu on Ethiopian troops, whose mandate is to protect the transitional government. They are unlikely to withdraw from Somalia until the African Union peacekeepers are fully¹⁰ deployed¹¹.

On Monday, a top Ugandan commander cautioned the Somali government against declaring victory over the insurgents. He says they have merely gone into hiding and have not been defeated.

1 rumbled   

发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋）

参考例句：

• The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
• Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了，然而，在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声，持续不断。

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

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 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

5 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

6 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。

7 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。

8 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

9 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。