2007年VOA标准英语-Political Divisions Again Endanger Somali Peace

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
05 July 2007

In another blow to Somali government plans to hold a long-delayed peace conference to end the country's 16-year-old civil war, elders of the most dominant¹ clan² in Mogadishu, the Hawiye, have failed to resume talks to unite the clan politically. The talks were suspended three days ago because of various disputes among competing sub-clans. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has more from our East African Bureau in Nairobi.

Ethiopian FM Seyoum Mesfin talks during a meeting with around 100 clan and religious leaders in Mogadishu, Somalia (File Photo)

A Hawiye clan elder, belonging to the Abgal sub-clan, acknowledged that efforts to reach a consensus³ among one of the largest and fractious tribes in Somalia is proving to be nearly impossible.

Clan elder Abdullahi Sheikh Hassan in Mogadishu says he cannot say when the Hawiye leaders will meet again.

"Yes, they are one clan, but every area is different," he said. "Some people support the Islamic courts. Some people support government and other groups. So, many, many different [people] are here."

On Monday, a meeting of 300 Hawiye leaders ended after only two hours when a dispute broke out over who should attend the July 15 reconciliation⁴ conference in the capital.

The conference, expected to bring together 1,300 delegates from rival Somali factions⁵, has been delayed three times since April, largely because of insecurity and clan disagreements.

The Hawiye clan meeting was scheduled to reconvene Thursday. But several key elders boycotted⁶ it, saying the meeting cannot be held until interim⁷ government leaders respond to the list of demands they submitted to the reconciliation committee two months ago.

The list of demands calls for securing an official ceasefire between insurgents⁸ and Ethiopian troops in Somalia, a complete withdrawal⁹ of Ethiopian troops from the country, and sharing the chairmanship of the peace conference with a representative from opposition¹⁰ groups to ensure fairness.

Somalia's Hawiye clan is made up of numerous sub-groups. Its members include powerful factional leaders in Somalia's western-backed interim government, as well as radical¹¹ Islamists waging a violent insurgency¹² against government leaders and their Ethiopian backers.

Mogadishu's mayor Mohamed Omar Habeb, better known as Mohamed Dheere, escaped a roadside bomb attack on Thursday that targeted his convoy¹³ in the capital's northern Shibis neighborhood. It was the second time the mayor escaped an assassination¹⁴ attempt since he was appointed to the post in May.

Insurgents have also stepped up attacks against Ethiopian troops, who have remained in Somalia since helping¹⁵ the interim government take power from Somali Islamists in late December.

Mogadishu residents tell VOA that the capital, which is under a nighttime curfew, is tense after Ethiopian and Somali troops swept through several neighborhoods, arresting as many as 100 suspected insurgents.

The government says about 3,000 additional police have been deployed¹⁶ in the past two days to secure the capital. But residents complain that many government police and soldiers are creating more anger and violence by routinely looting homes they search and robbing civilians¹⁷ at checkpoints.

1 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

2 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。

3 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

4 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

5 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

6 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

7 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。

8 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

9 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 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。

12 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

13 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。

14 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

16 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。

17 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。