This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

这里是美国之音慢速英语新闻报道。

This week, soldiers in Mali seized power. They said they acted because the president has failed to end a rebellion by ethnic Tuareg rebels in northern Mali. That conflict started again in January after Tuareg fighters returned from Libya. They had been allied with Moammar Gadhafi.

本周，马里士兵夺取了政权。他们表示采取行动是因为总统未能结束图阿雷格族叛乱分子在马里北部的叛乱。在图阿雷格族武装分子从利比亚返回后，这起冲突于一月再次爆发。这些武装分子曾经与卡扎菲结盟。

Leaders of the overthrow suspended the constitution and arrested government ministers. In Bamako, the capital, the price of fuel doubled and bread was reported in short supply.

马里政变领导人中止了宪法并拘捕政府部长。在马里首都巴马科，燃油价格翻倍，面包被报告出现短缺。

Mali was set to hold presidential elections in late April. President Amadou Toumani Toure, a former army officer, was not seeking another term. The democratically elected president has served two terms, the legal limit. Years ago, he himself led an overthrow.

马里原定于四月下旬举行总统选举。曾经担任过军官的现任总统阿马杜·图马尼·杜尔（Amadou Toumani Toure）未寻求连任。这名民选总统已担任两届，达到了法定限制的任期。多年前，杜尔总统本人也领导过一次政变。

The United Nations Security Council condemned the ouster of President Toure. The U.N.'s political chief, Lynn Pascoe, said the return of the Tuaregs from the Libyan army has fueled the rebellion.

联合国安理会对推翻杜尔总统一事提出了谴责。联合国政治事务负责人林恩·帕斯科（Lynn Pascoe）表示，从利比亚返回的图阿雷格人对叛乱起到了推波助澜的作用。 

LYNN PASCOE: "A sizeable number had gone to Libya because there they could earn more money working in the military and other areas. They were welcomed by the Gadhafi regime. We think that somewhere in the range of fifteen hundred to two thousand of them returned. Some of them were actually quite high-ranking people in the Libyan Army. And they also came with weapons."

帕斯科：“相当多的图阿雷格人曾到利比亚，因为在利比亚他们可以在军事和其它领域赚更多的钱。他们受到了卡扎菲政权的欢迎。我们认为他们中有1500到2000人回到了马里。他们中的一些人实际上曾是利比亚军队中非常高层的人士。他们还带了武器回来。”

The Tuareg rebellion has been happening on and off in Mali for many years. But Mr. Pascoe says the new weapons have changed the situation.

多年来，图阿雷格族叛乱时不时爆发又被剿灭。但帕斯科先生表示，这些新武器已经改变了这一状况。

LYNN PASCOE: "They have clearly added much more firepower and drive to this operation, which made it very difficult for the Malian Army to deal with."

帕斯科：“他们明显增加了很多武器并用到这次叛乱中，这使得政府军难以应对。”

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expressed the support of the Obama administration for President Toure. She said Mali has been a leading democracy in West Africa and its democracy must be respected.

在华盛顿，美国国务院女发言人维多利亚·纽兰（Victoria Nuland）表达了奥巴马政府对杜尔总统的支持。她表示，马里一直是西非的民主先锋，必须尊重其民主。

VICTORIA NULAND: "The United States condemns the military seizure of power in Mali. We echo the statements of the African Union, of ECOWAS and of other international partners in denouncing these actions. We've called for calm. We've called for restoration of the civilian government under constitutional rule without delay, so that the elections can proceed as scheduled."

纽兰：“美国谴责马里军方夺取政权。我们重申非盟，西非国家经济共同体和其它国际合作伙伴对此事上的谴责。我们呼吁各方冷静，并呼吁立刻恢复宪法统治下的文职政府，这样总统选举就能如期举行。”

The United States has been providing Mali with as much as one hundred forty million dollars a year in security, economic and financial assistance. That is in addition to humanitarian aid.

美国每年在安全、经济和财政援助上向马里提供了多达1400万美元。这还不包括人道主义援助。

Ms. Nuland says the change of power in Libya has affected security in the Sahel area, with rebels again fighting for an independent Islamic state.

纽兰女士表示，利比亚政权的更替已经影响到了萨赫勒地区的安全局势。叛乱分子再次为争取一个独立的伊斯兰国家而战。

VICTORIA NULAND: "It's certainly true that there has been increasing concern inside Mali about Tuareg activity over the last number of months, and particularly since the Tuaregs have had less to fight about in Libya and have moved on to Mali."

纽兰：“这当然是事实，在过去几个月里，马里国内对图阿雷格人活动的担忧持续增加，特别是自从图阿雷格人在利比亚没什么可争的，并转向马里以后。”

Tuareg rebels have taken control of several towns in the north. The United Nations says the fighting has forced at least one hundred thirty thousand people from their homes.

图阿雷格叛军已经控制了北部数个城镇。联合国称，这次战争已经迫使至少13万人离开家园。

The military uprising started on Wednesday. The next day, the soldiers announced a National Committee for the Recovery of Democracy and the Restoration of the State. They promised elections but set no date.

马里军方暴动于周三开始。第二天，士兵们公布了一个民主复兴和国家重建全国委员会。他们承诺进行选举但没有定下日期。

In Bamako, people from Tuareg and Arab ethnic groups say the soldiers must work to avoid renewed discrimination against those groups. Many Malians thought the government was poorly handling the Tuareg rebellion. Still, people had praise for government efforts to spread the message not to treat Tuareg civilians or other light-skinned groups unfairly.

在巴马科，来自图阿雷格和阿拉伯族群的人们表示，士兵们必须努力避免重现对这些族群的歧视。许多马里人认为政府对图阿雷格叛乱处理不好。然而，人们对政府传播要公平对待图阿雷格平民和其他浅肤色种族的信息的努力表示赞扬。

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

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Contributing: Margaret Besheer, Anne Look, Nancy Palus and Scott Stearns