2007年VOA标准英语-Killing of Peacekeepers in Somalia Brings Calls

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
18 May 2007

In Uganda, the deaths of four peacekeepers in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, this week have prompted calls for President Yoweri Museveni to withdraw his military troops from the African Union mission. As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, the Ugandan government is sending mixed signals about how long it intends to remain committed to efforts to stabilize¹ Somalia.

Ugandan Africa Union peacekeepers patrol the international sea port in Mogadishu, 08 May 2007

Weeks before a contingent² of about 1,400 Ugandan soldiers arrived in Mogadishu in early March, many Ugandans had openly questioned the wisdom of sending their troops to Somalia, which has been mired³ in civil war for nearly 16 years.

But media reports say since four peacekeepers were killed and five more wounded in a roadside bombing Wednesday, public opinion, especially in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, has moved sharply against keeping the troops in Somalia longer than the six-month mandate⁴.

The reports say many Ugandans are concerned that the African Union mission in Somalia is diverting money, manpower, and resources away from efforts to resolve conflicts at home, including the long-running civil war against Lord's Resistance Army rebels in the north of the country.

 

There is also a growing belief in Uganda that President Yoweri Museveni pushed for a rapid deployment⁵ of troops largely to appease⁶ the United States.

After Ethiopian-led forces defeated Somalia's Islamic Courts Union in late December, Washington led international efforts to raise an 8,000-member peacekeeping force to protect Somalia's fragile secular⁷ interim⁸ government and to train its security forces.

Aggrey Awori is a Ugandan political analyst⁹ and an adviser¹⁰ to President Museveni. He says Uganda sent troops to Somalia because it is the duty of African nations to help one another in times of crisis.

 

"Anybody knows that once you take on a military mission, death is always facing you," he said. "What has happened is very unfortunate [but] it should not change or move us from our original course. We did not go to Somalia on a bilateral¹¹ basis, between Mogadishu and Kampala. It was an African Union commitment. Somalia is an African country. So, we are expecting other colleagues in the organization to answer the call."

But ordinary Ugandans complain about the lack of action by other African Union member states.

Despite pledges from several other African countries, including Nigeria, Malawi, and Burundi, to send troops to Somalia, none have yet been deployed¹².

In another blow to Uganda, the Addis Ababa-based African Union acknowledged earlier this week that despite receiving more than $10 million from the European Union to fund peacekeeping missions, the organization still does not have enough money to meet the needs of the mission in Somalia.

Ugandan Defense¹³ Minister Crispus Kiyonga announced last Saturday that peacekeepers from his country would withdraw from Somalia when their mandate ends in September. The minister says he is expecting a U.N. peacekeeping force to take over the mission.

It is not clear whether the minister was speaking on behalf of President Museveni, who had earlier warned the United Nations to stay out of Somalia and vowed¹⁴ to keep Ugandan troops in Somalia until the country was stabilized¹⁵.

1 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

2 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

3 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 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。

5 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

6 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

7 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

8 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。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

11 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

12 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。

13 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

14 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

15 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》