VOA标准英语2008年-Former Mauritanian General Takes Over State Cou

Hours after the Mauritanian president fired top military officials on Wednesday morning, three of the fired officials seized the presidential palace and established a new state council. They have announced that President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was no longer president of Mauritania. For VOA, Ricci Shryock has more from Dakar.
　

Mauritanian President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (l) shakes hands with General Ould Abdel Aziz in Nouakchott (file photo)

In a military coup¹ on Wednesday, three former military officials seized the Mauritanian president, prime minister and interior minister. Hours after they took control, one of the former generals behind the coup announced the new council's first act was to anull the dismissal of the military officials.

Local journalist Seyid Ould Seyid says the streets of the capital, Nouakchott, remained quiet during the announcement.

"The strongest General of Mauritania, Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, announced himself as the president, new military president of Mauritania," he said. "As soon as the press communiqué was announced, the signal for the TV, they put it off. Everyone is still shocked in Mauritania."

Early Wednesday morning the Mauritanian president announced the firing of the three generals. Shortly afterward², the generals took control of the national palace.

Seyid adds there has been no violence in the capital, Nouakchott.

"There is no demonstration³ from the other side to support the president," he said. "There is no conflict in the street. It seems like in the street, everything is controlled by the military."

Seyid says residents are using their cell phones to exchange information, because the military has shut down the local media.

"The national media - they are closed," he said. "We have only one national TV, one radio. They are closed, and they are under control of the army. People are exchanging news in a very informal way."

Mr. Abdallahi assumed power after democrat⁴ elections in 2007, two years after generals ousted⁵ the former president in a bloodless coup. Oil-producing Mauritania gained independence from France in 1960.

Earlier this week, most of the members of Mr. Abdallahi's party walked out of a government session in protest.

Kissy Agyeman, a Sub-Saharan analyst⁶ for Global Insight, based in London, says Wednesday's coup is likely related to the walkout.

"I think this has been related to the incident earlier this week, when forty eight parliamentarians actually walked out of the ruling coalition⁷ in protest of, well, a number of things, but mainly because of the fact that they felt that not enough had been done to address the soaring food price crisis," said Agyeman. "And they called for a commission to be set up to investigate the food crisis."

On Monday, Agyeman says the parliamentarians also requested an investigation⁸ into alleged⁹ financial misappropriations by the president's wife.

The president denied both the investigation and food crisis commission, says Agyeman.

Recently countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have staged riots in relation to the rising costs of food and fuel, but Agyeman adds Mauritania was in a uniquely unstable¹⁰ condition.

"The democracy is very, very new," said Agyeman. "And it's had a series of coups¹¹. Whilst you do have, as I say, you know food crises and uprisings and frustrations¹² over that. Of course, it will put more pressure on the ruling polity to address those issues. But to go as far to say that a coup could be expected in these countries where food crises did occur. I think would certainly be far-fetched at this point in time."

Agyeman says some sources have linked the former generals to the walkout. The president is currently being held in an undisclosed location.

1 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

2 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

6 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。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

10 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

11 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

12 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。