2007年VOA标准英语-Niger Delta Earns Reputation as One of World's

By Nico Colombant
Port Harcourt
20 May 2007

A Guard shows destruction inside Indian compound, 19 May 2007

The oil-rich Niger Delta¹ in southern Nigeria has become one of the world's most dangerous places, both for civilians² and foreigners. VOA's Nico Colombant went to the scene of a recent kidnapping and to the memorial service of a former gang leader, for this report from one of the main cities in the lawless region, Port Harcourt.

A guard at an emptied out residential³ compound, previously⁴ occupied by Indian petrochemical workers, walks through debris⁵ left behind by dozens of heavily armed militants⁷ who came by with dynamite⁸ in the early hours Saturday.

He says two Indian workers were taken hostage. The other Indians left, but their belongings⁹ remain.

There is no military presence in or around the recently attacked compound. The guard, who recently moved here to get a security job, says he is afraid.

"Since I came to Port Harcourt, I have not seen such things like this. So this is my first time witnessing such a thing like this. I am from Cross Rivers State, so I just came to Port Harcourt to find something to do, so unfortunately I was involved in this," said the guard.

He says danger seems to follow oil. Militants, who say they are fighting to get a share of oil revenue and justice for the people of the Niger Delta, get up to $1 million for releasing a group of hostages.

The guard, who preferred to remain unnamed for fear of reprisal¹⁰, says he believes they carry out attacks just for money.

"They do not fight for justice. If it were for justice, they will not destroy these things. I think they are fighting for money," he added. "They make it. They demand some money and they give it to them before they release [the hostages]."

Officials at facilities where the Indians worked for the Indonesian company Indorama said more information would not be available before Monday.

Other witnesses said the militants shot and killed a Nigerian driver while they escaped, not wanting him to indicate where they were going, and seriously injured a woman, by shooting her in the head, as she walked home from a nearby church from a night vigil.

One resident, who also preferred to remain unnamed, said it is not just the foreigners who are afraid.

"Their mode of shooting was too rough. People there are very scared. Many are even afraid to live in the same zone just because of the threat. Nobody knows what will be the next line of action because of fear and they want to go away," said the resident.

At a church , people sang to honor the life of Casi Boate, who had recently left gangs and militant⁶ groups, trying to advocate non-violence.

He was killed by a rival gang member, in retaliation¹¹ for a recent murder of another gang leader, while visiting his home in nearby Bayelsa state, also in the Niger Delta.

His grieving sister Rosemary says many young men, in school and out of school, are encouraged to join what are locally known as cults¹², violent groups that deal in crime and call for justice in the impoverished¹³ and lawless oil-producing area.

"The ones on the streets are chasing the ones on the campus. Now the ones on the campus are chasing the ones outside," she said. "It is like a kind of circle revolving¹⁴ around itself. I think it is kind of dangerous, really."

Outgoing Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to disarm¹⁵ the main groups behind violence in 2004, but those efforts failed.

Militants were paid money for handing in their weapons, sometimes more than two-hundred dollars each. Some say they were able to buy many more weapons with the money they received.

New powerful state governors and a new president, the ruling party's Mussa Yar'Adua, formerly¹⁶ a northern governor, are to be sworn into office on May 29.

International observers, Nigerian human-rights activists¹⁷, opposition¹⁸ leaders and militant leaders in the southern oil region have denounced the elections as falling far short of democratic expectations, following many instances of fraud, violence, and mismanagement surrounding the voting.

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 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。

3 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

6 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 dynamite   

n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破)

参考例句：

• The workmen detonated the dynamite.工人们把炸药引爆了。
• The philosopher was still political dynamite.那位哲学家仍旧是政治上的爆炸性人物。

9 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

10 reprisal   

n.报复，报仇，报复性劫掠

参考例句：

• There is no political alternative but a big reprisal.政治上没有旁的选择只能是大规模报复。
• They bombed civilian targets in reprisal.他们炮轰平民目标作为报复。

11 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 cults   

n.迷信( cult的名词复数 )；狂热的崇拜；（有极端宗教信仰的）异教团体

参考例句：

• Religious cults and priesthoods are sectarian by nature. 宗教崇拜和僧侣界天然就有派性。 来自辞典例句
• All these religions were flourishing side by side with many less prominent cults. 所有这些宗教和许多次要的教派一起，共同繁荣。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

13 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

15 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

16 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

17 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。