VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-05-28 Nigeria Struggles to Control Violence

 

AS IT IS 2013-05-28 Nigeria Struggles to Control Violence

From VOA Learning English, welcome to As It Is.

Hello, I’m Steve Ember.

Today, from Nigeria, government attempts to control violence by the Islamist militant¹ group Boko Haram…and pardons to militants² who stop fighting in the country’s north. And it’s the anniversary of the birth of the writer who created Double-O-Seven, otherwise known as

“Bond. James Bond.”

The president of Nigeria recently announced deployment³ of thousands of troops to the country’s north. The action is part of an effort to control violence by supporters of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Nigerian officials reported that the military is holding more than 200 suspected Boko Haram militants. Milagros Ardin has our story. 

Boko Haram is based in Borno.  It has fought the government since 2009. The group’s current leader released a video claiming responsibility for recent attacks in the towns of Baga and Bama. He said the group would start kidnapping people as part of the way it operates. Lieutenant⁴ Colonel Sagir Musa is a spokesman for the Joint⁵ Military Task Force in Borno state.

“There is literally⁶ a resurgence⁷ of terrorist activities in Borno State, mostly in the rural areas. We have observed the resurgence and where it is coming from and necessary measures are on and soon it will be stopped."

Yet, some say it is Boko Haram that is gaining the upper hand. They say people are less likely to cooperate with the government because of its abuses against civilians⁸ and Boko Haram detainees. The abuse is helping⁹ Boko Haram find new members. A retired¹⁰ soldier in the city of Maiduguri says the militants have been moving into the area.

The Nigeria expert for the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, DC says militants have been training in the country. Jacob Zenn said they do this without much fear of being hunted by local police.  He says that is the result of changing its operation to avoid government troops.

"It seems that Boko Haram has come under pressure in some of the major cities like Maiduguri and is actually realizing that it is preferable to operate in the rural areas where the government doesn't have too many forces. And there it can establish havens¹¹. It can train. It can keep hostages."

Boko Haram has only recently started kidnapping people. It says it is taking local women and children in reaction to the detention¹² of the wives and children of its members by the government and security officials. 

Local militant leader Abubakur Shekau said Boko Haram will kidnap more people.  And [he] adds, if they can’t see their women and children, then no one will be permitted to enjoy his family.  God, he says, permits them to consider all those they capture as slaves. And, he tells security forces, if you think you can rescue them, then “we challenge you to try.”

Even with these threats, rights groups criticize Nigeria’s government.  They say that in its effort to stop the violence, the government uses too much force and kills civilians. People who live in Baga say security forces burned down thousands of homes after a soldier was killed by Boko Haram. The military has denied the accusation¹³.  President Jonathan said troops would be permitted to make arrests, take control of buildings used for terrorist purposes and detain people with illegal weapons. I’m Milagros Ardin.

You are listening to As It Is from VOA Learning English.  I’m Steve Ember.

Business Opportunities for Ex-Militants...

Nigerians are now debating the possibility of giving pardons to militants who stop fighting in the country’s north. Four years ago, the government began offering pardons to militants in the south. They were guaranteed safety in return for ending their violent ways.

Today, some former militants are opening small businesses and living peacefully in the Niger Delta¹⁴ area. But others are warning of more violence unless conditions improve. 

Some Nigerian newspaper websites are asking readers if they believe that the government should offer amnesty to Boko Haram militants. On one website, the largest number of voters agreed with the statement, “No, they have killed innocents…”

But for many Nigerians, the idea of peace through pardons, or amnesty, has been tested with at least partial success in the Niger Delta. There, militants fought against the government and oil companies for several years.

Observers say the fighting in the Niger Delta was very different from the current Boko Haram conflict. Boko Haram says it is fighting for Islamic law and to free its jailed members. The Niger Delta militancy¹⁵ was a product of a popular movement calling for fair distribution of oil wealth.

But, some former militants in the Niger Delta say the amnesty program is preventing another rebellion. Thirty-year-old Epipade Kemepade was once responsible for passing out weapons to other militants. In 2009, he surrendered his gun in return for the promise of job training and a little more than 400 dollars a month.

Now he is a trained welder¹⁶ who operates his own business. He is also among 300 former militants promised new equipment a month ago for their businesses. But the equipment has not yet arrived.

Another ex-militant, Charles Efenedu, says he received business training after ending violence. He was told he could open a small food store when he completed the training. That was two years ago.

“I’m trying to work on a farm to succeed by myself because the federal government is not doing any good about our training.  So we just sit at home doing nothing."

In northern Nigeria, Boko Haram members have rejected the idea of accepting any pardon. They say the government should be asking for amnesty from them. 

A "Shaken, not Stirred" Birthday Anniversary...

And on a lighter¹⁷ note:

May 28th is the anniversary of the birth of writer Ian Fleming. He was born in 1908. Fleming created the famous fictional¹⁸ British spy: 

SEAN CONNERY: “Bond, James Bond.”

James Bond – agent 007 -- has been saving the world from evil forces on movie screens since his first film, “Dr. No,” in 1962.  Bond is famous for his love of fast cars, beautiful women

SEAN CONNERY (from “Goldfinger”: “Who are you?

HONOR BLACKMAN: “My name is Pussy¹⁹ Galore.”

SEAN CONNERY: “I must be dreaming.”

and many mechanical devices, some of them deadly.

The Bond character first appeared in the Ian Fleming book “Casino Royale,” which was published in 1953. The movies continue today, with the next one expected in 2016. Ian Fleming died of a heart attack in 1964 at age 56. But he lived long enough to see actor Sean Connery play Bond in “Dr.  No” and “From Russia with Love.”

James Bond lovers like to say that the super-spy is a lot like his creator. Fleming, like Bond, served in British Naval²⁰ intelligence. And also like Bond, he drank his Martinis…

SEAN CONNERY:  “shaken, not stirred.”

ADELE: “This is the end…”

And as Adele reminds us, from the opening of “Skyfall,” the latest Bond thriller²¹, it is definitely the end, at least for our program today. A reminder²² – for the latest world news, tune²³ in VOA News at the top of the hour Universal Time, both on radio and on our web site. Thanks for joining us. The name’s Ember. Steve Ember. 

1 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。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

4 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

7 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

8 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。

9 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。

10 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

11 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

12 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

13 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

14 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

15 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

16 welder   

n电焊工

参考例句：

• He left school at 15 to become an apprentice to a welder.他15岁离开了中学成为一个焊接工人的学徒。
• Welder done at least once a month when the dust handling.焊机时每月至少做一次除尘处理。

17 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

18 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

19 pussy   

n.(儿语)小猫，猫咪

参考例句：

• Why can't they leave my pussy alone?为什么他们就不能离我小猫咪远一点？
• The baby was playing with his pussy.孩子正和他的猫嬉戏。

20 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

21 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

22 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

23 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。