VOA标准英语2009年-Former Insurgents Take Control of Mogadishu Che

Troops from the Islamic Courts Union, a former insurgent¹ group that now backs Somalia's new president, have taken over control of checkpoints in the capital Mogadishu from government soldiers. The development comes as Ethiopian troops, who patrolled the city for much of the past two years and began withdrawing from the country earlier this year, were reported crossing the border into Somalia again.
　
Islamists loyal to Pres. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed take up position at a Mogadishu roadblock, 19 Feb 2009

With much of southern and central Somalia under the control of hard-line Islamist insurgents² opposed to the government, the immediate³ task for the country's new moderate Islamist president, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, is to re-establish security in the capital, Mogadishu.

On Thursday, the government took one step toward this goal, replacing the government forces manning checkpoints in the city, who had had been accused of attacking and stealing from civilians⁴ - with fighters belonging to the Islamic Courts Union, an insurgent group that has thrown its backing to President Sharif, a former insurgent leader.

A spokesman for the Islamic Courts Union, Isse Adow, said the group's soldiers had taken over early in the day.

He said the president, earlier in the month, had established a committee to look into security issues, which found that government forces at security checkpoints often held people up, seeking to extract money. The committee recommended removing the government forces from the checkpoints.

Security remains⁵ an immense challenge in the capital. On Wednesday, an explosion in the city killed at least two people.

But the challenge of exerting government control over the rest of the country is even greater. The new prime minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, repeated the government's appeals for negotiations⁶ with the radical⁷ insurgent group al-Shabab, which controls much of the country's central and southern regions.
　
Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, (2009 file photo)

There are some hopes that President Sharif can bring on board or marginalize the more radical Shabab. Both split from the same Islamist movement that briefly⁸ took control of the country in 2006.

A group of Islamic clerics who had been meeting in the capital issued a series of pronouncements Thursday, including that Muslims should not kill one another, and that Islamists opposed to the government should not use violence. But while other Islamist factions⁹ have entered discussions with the government, the Shabab has vowed¹⁰ to continue fighting.
　
Tanks of Ugandan forces from AU peacekeepers stand guard at a base in Mogadishu, 18 Jan 2009

The clerics also called for armed factions to stop targeting aid groups operating in the country; for foreign soldiers - most likely a reference to African Union peacekeepers - to leave the country by the beginning of July; and for a form of Islamic law to be established.

Meanwhile, Somali media has reported that Ethiopian troops have crossed the border into southern Somalia, along with dozens of vehicles. Since withdrawing from the country earlier this year, Ethiopian troops have remained deployed¹¹ along the border, and Ethiopia's prime minister has indicated that soldiers could return if the threat of insecurity increases. But Ethiopia has denied any renewed incursions.

1 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。

2 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

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 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。

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

8 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

9 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

10 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

11 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。