VOA常速英语2008年-African Union Peacekeepers Say More Troops Need

By Alisha Ryu
Mogadishu
31 March 2008

African Union peacekeepers in Somalia say the year-old mission needs at least 20,000 troops to stabilized¹ the war-ravaged country, 12,000 more than the mission's original mandate². From the Somali capital, Mogadishu, VOA correspondent Alisha Ryu reports officials there believe as many as 10,000 troops may be needed just to secure the capital.

Ugandan army Major Barigye Ba-Hoku, a spokesman for the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, says he is proud of what the mission has been able to accomplish in Mogadishu since its arrival in Somalia last March.

A vanguard force of about 1500 troops from Uganda has single-handedly secured an area of south Mogadishu that locals now refer to as the Green Zone, a relatively³ safe area that includes the city's main airport, seaport⁴, and a thriving marketplace.

In December, a contingent⁵ of about 600 soldiers from Burundi joined the Ugandans, giving AMISOM a much-needed boost in troop presence in the capital.

But Major Ba-Hoku says the 2200 soldiers currently deployed⁶ here will not be able to make any more progress in the capital or assist other parts of the country without troop reinforcement well-beyond the 8,000 level approved by the African Union in January, 2007.

"I am afraid, today, it cannot be 8,000," he said. "We are looking at possibly 20,000. Why? If at that time, all the countries (had) contributed 8,000, then we would have seized the opportunity and gone into these areas and do the patrols and help facilitate people. But we did not. So what has happened? The opposing forces have gone and mobilized. They have equipped themselves. They have done their propaganda and so on. And so, it is now going to be more costly⁷, both in terms of personnel and resources."

Islamist insurgents⁹, opposed to Somalia's Ethiopia-backed interim¹⁰ government and the presence of Ethiopian troops in the country, have waged a violent, 15-month insurgency¹¹, especially in Mogadishu. In recent months, they have gained new recruits and have claimed more territory, turning several major districts into insurgent⁸ strongholds.

They have also spread out from the capital and established regional bases, using them to launch hit-and-run attacks on Ethiopian and government troops, military posts and government-held towns.

Major Ba-Hoku says the deteriorating¹² security situation requires urgent action by the international community. He insists a stronger backing for the under-funded mission could enable several thousand more AMISOM troops to be sent here quickly.

"The 2,000 (soldiers) have only created a Green Zone in south Mogadishu," he said. "So, what happens in north Mogadishu, east and west Mogadishu? You may need a similar figure for each of those areas. Many countries by now would have been deployed. You know why they have not deployed? Lack of logistics. So, what you can do is support AMISOM. Give the contributing countries support, logistical support, and then, we will do the job."

AMISOM initially¹³ carried a six-month mandate to secure Mogadishu and help Somalia's internationally-recognized-but-weak secular¹⁴ government establish control after six months of Islamist rule. Islamist leaders abandoned the capital after an Ethiopia-led offensive routed their fighters in December, 2006.

African Union soldiers from at least half-a-dozen countries were supposed to have been deployed and then replaced by a U.N. peacekeeping force when the mandate expired.

1 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》

2 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。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 seaport   

n.海港，港口，港市

参考例句：

• Ostend is the most important seaport in Belgium.奥斯坦德是比利时最重要的海港。
• A seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal.轮船能够补充煤炭的海港。

5 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。

6 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。

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

9 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

10 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。

11 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

12 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

13 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

14 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。