2007年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Government Seeks Truce With Delta Mili

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
03 September 2007

Nigeria says government officials and militants² in the oil-producing Niger Delta³ have held several meetings in a bid to stem violence in the region. Gilbert da Costa has more in this report from Abuja.

 

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua says his government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to deal with incessant⁴ violence in the oil-producing region.

 

Mr. Yar'Adua, who spoke⁵ in an hour-long interview on national television Sunday to mark his first one hundred days in office, said one element is a plan to address the grievances⁶ of the delta's impoverished⁷ communities, while the other aspect is negotiation⁸ with the rebels.

 

"We are putting measures in place to ensure that the situation is mopped up and that what happened a few weeks ago in Port Harcourt will not repeat itself, ever again. In that aspect the Niger Delta problem, there are really two aspects to it," he said. "The development aspect, which, this is what we are doing with the regard to the implementation⁹ of the master plan, and the security aspect."

 

Mr. Yar'Adua announced that the government had held several meetings with leaders of militant¹ groups in the delta. He said a broad consensus¹⁰ has emerged on a road map towards a peaceful resolution of the crisis. A formal announcement is expected within two weeks.

 

Militants have kidnapped more than 200 foreign workers since 2006 in the Niger Delta, where most of Nigeria's oil is produced.

 

Police say gunmen killed a Dutchman in the unruly southern region on Sunday, with a note from his suspected killer¹¹ on his body.

 

Officials announced on Saturday that a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on the oil city of Port Harcourt had been extended indefinitely.

 

President Yar'Adua, who took over power on May 29 after a contentious¹² election in April, says security forces will sustain the ongoing¹³ crackdown on criminal gangs responsible for the uncontrollable crime wave in the delta.

 

Nigeria is the world's eighth-biggest exporter of crude oil, but its output has been crippled by attacks on oil facilities and personnel.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 incessant   

adj.不停的，连续的

参考例句：

• We have had incessant snowfall since yesterday afternoon.从昨天下午开始就持续不断地下雪。
• She is tired of his incessant demands for affection.她厌倦了他对感情的不断索取。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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》

8 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

9 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

10 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

11 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

12 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

13 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。