VOA标准英语2008年-Kenya Factions in AU-Mediated Talks

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
09 January 2008

African Union leader John Kufuor, held talks with Kenya's president and opposition¹ leader in Nairobi in a bid to break a post-election deadlock² that has inflamed³ ethnic⁴ tensions to violent levels.  VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in Nairobi reports there is growing mistrust and anger among Kenyans that is threatening to leave the country ethnically⁵ divided.

Media reports from the western town of Kisumu say that hundreds of people belonging to the Kamba tribe are fleeing the area, terrified militiamen who support the opposition party of Raila Odinga will kill them.

The opposition accuses incumbent⁶ President Mwai Kibaki of stealing the December 27 presidential vote and is demanding fresh elections.  The vote took place peacefully, but was subsequently marred⁷ by irregularities in the vote counting process. 

In Kisumu, a stronghold of Mr. Odinga's Luo tribe, ethnic Kambas are reportedly being targeted, because one of the defeated presidential candidates, ethnic Kamba politician Kalonzo Musyoka, dropped his neutrality in the post-election dispute by accepting the position of vice-president in Mr. Kibaki's government. 

Thousands of people from the president's majority Kikuyu tribe and other supporters of Mr. Kibaki have already been chased out of Kisumu and other parts of Kenya by angry supporters of Mr. Odinga.

More than a week of rioting and ethnic clashes has killed hundreds of people throughout the country and more than 250,000 Kenyans have been uprooted⁸.  

Residents of the western Rift⁹ Valley town of Eldoret tell VOA that thousands of ethnic Kikuyus there, who up until two weeks ago had lived peacefully with neighbors belonging to other tribes, have all left, mostly for the central highlands, the traditional homeland of the Kikuyus.

Hospitals in highland¹⁰ towns such as Nyeri say their wards¹¹ are full of Kikuyu men suffering from wounds from axes, machetes, and bows and arrows.  The Kikuyu people say they are being unfairly targeted, because the tribe, the largest of about 40 in Kenya, has dominated the country's politics and economy since independence from Britain in 1963.

In a worrying sign, Vincent Murunga, a member of the Luhya tribe from Nyeri, tells VOA that non-ethnic Kikuyus are fleeing their homes in the central highlands, because they fear revenge attacks by Kikuyu mobs.

"In Nyeri town, people from outside of Kikuyu [tribe] have been forced to run away to look for security, because these fellows want revenge for what has happened to their tribesmen in other parts of the country," he noted¹².

President Kibaki announced his new Cabinet late Tuesday in a move the opposition has called a slap in the face designed to undermine international mediation¹³ efforts.  A leading Kenyan newspaper, the Daily Nation, voiced concerns that the appointments had the potential to poison the atmosphere before the African Union-mediated talks.

A bank employee working in Nyeri, Godfrey Biketi, tells VOA that most Kenyans are deeply disturbed about the political dispute and the violence it has ignited.   He says many are frightened about what may happen to the country if it is not resolved quickly.

"We just hope the politicians are going to settle this down so that we can continue with our normal life," he said.

Raila Odinga is a former political prisoner, who helped President Kibaki win his first five-year term in 2002.  The two men became bitter political rivals after Mr. Odinga was fired from government in 2005.

1 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。

2 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

3 inflamed   

adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His comments have inflamed teachers all over the country. 他的评论激怒了全国教师。
• Her joints are severely inflamed. 她的关节严重发炎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句

6 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

7 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

8 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

10 highland   

n.(pl.)高地，山地

参考例句：

• The highland game is part of Scotland's cultural heritage.苏格兰高地游戏是苏格兰文化遗产的一部分。
• The highland forests where few hunters venture have long been the bear's sanctuary.这片只有少数猎人涉险的高山森林，一直都是黑熊的避难所。

11 wards   

区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态

参考例句：

• This hospital has 20 medical [surgical] wards. 这所医院有 20 个内科[外科]病房。
• It was a big constituency divided into three wards. 这是一个大选区，下设三个分区。

12 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。

13 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。