2006年VOA标准英语-Clashes in Somalia Spark Worries About Horn of

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
19 December 2006

A little more than six months after seizing control of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, Somalia's Islamic Courts Union is enforcing its form of law and order across a wide swath of the east African nation, home to a large majority of the population.  But the hard-line Islamist leaders' alleged¹ ties to terrorism, and their expansionist policies, have brought Somalia to the brink² of war with neighboring Ethiopia.  VOA's East Africa Correspondent Alisha Ryu, who has traveled widely in Somalia, tells us in this yearend report, there are fears that clashes in Somalia could trigger a wider regional conflict.

 
Militiamen of the Islamic Court in Mogadishu patrol the streets of Mogadishu
When Islamist forces captured Mogadishu in early June and spread with lightning speed throughout southern and central Somalia, few people outside the country knew much about the Somali Islamist movement.

Somalia's Islamic Courts Union arose, at least in part, from chaos⁴ that followed the overthrow⁵ of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.  It is dedicated⁶ to restoring law and order through an Islamic Sharia code.

Islamic courts in Somalia have traditionally operated independently, but efforts to unite the separate groups began about six years ago.  The militia³ of the Islamic Courts Union that emerged has become the most powerful force in Somalia during the past two years.  Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a hard-line Islamic cleric listed as a terrorist by the United States, leads the Islamist group.

Mogadishu fell after months of vicious fighting between the Islamists and militias⁷ loyal to a self-styled antiterror alliance of factional leaders.  Amid the fighting, rumors⁸ swirled⁹ that United States was funding the factional leaders, and that the Islamists were getting money, arms and training from al-Qaida and Muslim extremist groups.

The American ambassador to Nairobi says no financial support has gone to the factional leaders.  However, the United States' assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Jendayi Frazer, makes clear that Washington is deeply worried about Somalia becoming a breeding ground for terrorism.

"We have said over and over again that the people responsible for bombing our embassies [in 1998] in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam¹⁰ - and we have evidence [of this] - are in Mogadishu," he said.  "That constitutes a safe haven¹¹.  We do not want it to become a further safe haven."

In a telephone interview with VOA in July, the Islamists' supreme¹² leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, said he has no ties to terrorism.

 
Thousands of supporters of an Islamic alliance controlling key parts of Somalia protest against foreign interference
"What Somalis want is to unite under is Islamic law," he said.  "The West thinks that is bringing terrorism to Somalia.  I tell you that we are installing Islamic laws to promote peace, and we will not stop until all of Somalia is under Sharia."

Neighboring Ethiopia has watched the Islamists' rapid military expansion with growing alarm, especially after some Islamist leaders called for the absorption of Somali-populated areas of Ethiopia into a "greater Somalia."

Despite repeated denials by Ethiopia, U.N. observers and eyewitnesses¹³ say Addis Ababa began sending large numbers of troops across the border to protect Somalia's secular¹⁴ transitional government, headquartered in the town of Baidoa, 250 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu.

The transitional government, formed in 2004 by feuding¹⁵ factional leaders, is an attempt to give Somalia its first functional¹⁶ government in more than a decade.   But it has been too weak politically and militarily to challenge the Islamic courts.

During two rounds of peace talks in Khartoum, members of the international community led by the African Union and the Arab League tried to convince the two sides to put aside differences and form a unity¹⁷ government.  The talks produced little more than a rise in tensions across the Horn of Africa.

The Islamists declared a holy war against Ethiopia for sending troops to Somalia.  At the same time, Ethiopia's archrival, Eritrea, began sending troops and arms in support of the Islamists, prompting speculation¹⁸ that Somalia could become a proxy¹⁹ battleground for Addis Ababa and Asmara.

 
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf
In September, Somalia experienced its first-ever suicide attack, a car bomb targeting a convoy²⁰ carrying interim²¹ government President Abdullahi Yusuf.  He escaped unhurt, but that incident, along with Islamist claims that foreign fighters were joining their militia, pressured the U.N. Security Council to act.  The United States backed a resolution calling for African peacekeepers in Somalia, to protect the interim government and train government forces.

A subsequent U.N. report on Somalia accused at least 10 countries from across Africa and the Middle East of taking sides in the brewing²² Somali conflict, but warned against deploying²³ peacekeepers.  Authors of the study said this could further destabilize the region.

Despite threats from the Islamists, the Security Council passed the resolution.  A few days before the vote, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said his country faces what he called a clear and present danger from the Islamists.  He warned he would not wait for international approval before launching an offensive.

"If we are to protect ourselves, we know we are on our own," he said.  "While we respect the views of our friends in Brussels and the United States, we do not expect any light [signal] from them - red, green [or] yellow -- for us to defend ourselves."

The Bush administration has dismissed media reports that suggest it is tacitly supporting any Ethiopian military intervention²⁴ in Somalia.  Assistant Secretary of State Frazer says the United States believes the best way to avoid a catastrophic war in the region is by reopening a dialogue between the Islamists and the interim government.

1 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

2 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

3 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

4 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

5 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。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

8 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 swirled   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
• The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

10 salaam   

n.额手之礼，问安，敬礼；v.行额手礼

参考例句：

• And the people were so very friendly:full of huge beaming smiles,calling out "hello" and "salaam".这里的人民都很友好，灿然微笑着和我打招呼，说“哈罗”和“萨拉姆”。
• Salaam is a Muslim form of salutation.额手礼是穆斯林的问候方式。

11 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

12 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

13 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

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。

15 feuding   

vi.长期不和（feud的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Riccardo and Cafiero had been feuding so openly that the whole town knew about it. 里卡多和卡菲埃罗一直公开地闹别扭，全城的人都知道此事。 来自辞典例句
• The two families have been feuding with each other for many generations. 这两个家族有好多代的世仇了。 来自互联网

16 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

17 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

18 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

19 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

20 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

21 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。

22 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

23 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

24 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。