VOA标准英语2012--Former Somali President Yusuf Dies at 77

Former Somali President Yusuf Dies at 77

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed spent a lifetime fighting. He famously led an attempt to overthrow¹ Somali President Mohammed Siad Barre in 1978, but failed, fled to Kenya and then to Ethiopia. There, he formed a rebel force to fight against the Barre regime.

But the Ethiopians turned against him and he was imprisoned² in the mid-1980s until 1991, when Siad Barre was finally forced from power.

The Somalia he went home to was chaotic³ and violent. Warlords were fighting throughout the country for control of territory and resources.

In his homeland, in the northeast, Yusuf put together his own forces and became one of the founders⁴ of the autonomous⁵ region of Puntland, where his legacy⁶ is best remembered.

On the news of his death, the current Minister of State Planning for Puntland, Abdulkadir Hashi, wrote on Twitter that he was "saddened by his passing" and called the late president a "great patriot⁷ & friend."

Politically, Yusuf was a hardliner, inflexible⁸ and forever a military man who was quick to sideline anybody who stood in his way. His political career was boosted by warlords and others who believed the country needed a leader willing to fight.

He became president of Somalia's first Transitional Federal Government (TFG) after beating out 27 other candidates, one of them being Mohamed Mohamoud, a self-described peace activist⁹ who is also from Puntland.

"Abdullahi Yusuf was sidelining anybody who is not strictly¹⁰ on the military side," said Mohamoud. "He was not comfortable with the people who are politically enlightened, politically independent, politically courageous¹¹, who is against military rule."

Although he won the election with the backing of the country's warlords, they quickly turned against him when he tried to set up a government in Mogadishu, fearing a federal government would encroach on their territory.

Under pressure from the warlords, he moved the government to Baidoa in central Somalia. Then, growing more concerned about the rising power of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), he was instrumental in convincing Ethiopia to send troops into Somalia in 2006 to help prop¹² up the TFG.

The move was unpopular with many Somalis. Former presidential candidate Mohamoud said he supported Yusuf's military strategy, but said more thought should have been given to reforming the political system.

"We were not even opposing him, even me I was not opposing him, just because I believe it was appropriate to take Somalia by force first," said Mohamoud. "But after someone takes by force, well, there should be an immediate¹³ change of the system to a rule of law."

The Ethiopian incursion backfired for Yusuf. The troops' presence only helped to bolster¹⁴ support for the militant¹⁵ wing of the ICU, which later evolved into the militant al-Shabab.

Sheikh Abdisamad Abdiwahab, a Somalia analyst¹⁶ with Southlink consultants¹⁷ in Nairobi, says Yusuf had also lost the support of the United States, which had supported his stance against the Islamists.

"Initially¹⁸ they were having very high hope, he's going to restore stability and security of Mogadishu, but he failed to do so, contrary to the expectations of the Americans," said Abdisamad. "So they tell him publicly, if you fail to restore the security and law and order, kindly¹⁹ resign."

His fellow politicians accused him of favoring his own Darod clan²⁰, which had no clout²¹ in Mogadishu or Baidoa. And the international community called him an obstacle to peace for blocking peace deals with the Islamists.

Yusuf resigned in 2008, making way for the current TFG president, former cleric Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed.

1 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

2 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

3 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

4 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

5 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

7 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

8 inflexible   

adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的

参考例句：

• Charles was a man of settled habits and inflexible routine.查尔斯是一个恪守习惯、生活规律不容打乱的人。
• The new plastic is completely inflexible.这种新塑料是完全不可弯曲的。

9 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

10 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

11 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

12 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

13 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。

14 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

15 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。

16 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。

17 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

18 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。

19 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

20 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

21 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。