2007年VOA标准英语-State of Alert Takes Effect in Northern Niger

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
25 August 2007

Rebels in northern Niger have dismissed a government decision to impose a state of alert in the region.  Niger's president issued a statement Friday declaring the alert, which gives government forces additional powers in their fight against ethnic¹ Tuareg rebels in the uranium-rich north.  Phuong Tran brings us more from VOA's West African Bureau in Dakar.

The state of alert by President Mamadou Tandja gives security forces greater powers of arrest and also enables them to detain suspects without charge well beyond the usual 48 hours.

But El Kontchi Kriska, a spokesman for the Tuareg rebel group, the Niger Movement for Justice (NMJ), says the threat of more arrests cannot deter² the group.

"I do not think the decision of this government will discourage the determination of our front. We do not care about this declaration," he said.

Kriska dismisses the alert as a desperate move by an overwhelmed government. So far this year, more than 40 government soldiers have died in rebel attacks.  On Tuesday, NMJ rebels said they killed 17 soldiers when they engaged a heavily armed military convoy³.

The army on Friday denied that version of events, saying it had killed seven NMJ fighters in the clash and that only one of its soldiers had been killed and seven injured.

Analyst⁴ Richard Reeves with the London-based Chatham House says the government is fighting back with more arrests because it cannot gain a military victory against the rebels.

"Niger does not have the manpower or firepower to win this militarily," he noted⁵.  "The solution to the previous conflict has been to almost withdraw from the area, and sort of garrison⁶ small areas and let the Tuaregs get on with things."

The rebellion by Tuareg tribesmen dates back to the 1990s, when they began demanding greater autonomy from the government.  The NMJ says a1995 peace deal that ended that insurgency⁷ has never been fully⁸ implemented⁹ and that the region remains¹⁰ economically and politically marginalized.

The government refuses to recognize the NMJ, saying the group is made up of bandits and drug traffickers.  It also says the vast majority of Tuareg demands from the 1990s have been met. 

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, but the northern region, where the Tuareg live, has some of the world's largest reserves of uranium.

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

3 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

4 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。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 garrison   

n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防

参考例句：

• The troops came to the relief of the besieged garrison.军队来援救被围的守备军。
• The German was moving to stiffen up the garrison in Sicily.德军正在加强西西里守军之力量。

7 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

8 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。

9 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。