2006年VOA标准英语-Mali Rebels Occupy Northern Town

By Franz Wild
Abidjan
23 May 2006

Suspected Tuareg rebels are reported to have occupied a town in the northeast of Mali.  They are believed to be led by a high-ranking deserter from the Malian army.  

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Police in the northern town of Kidal say two soldiers were killed by the dozens of attacking Tuareg rebels.  They are reported to have seized at least two army bases in northeast Mali.

Gunfire was reported from the camps.  The rebels are now said to control Kidal, which is more than one-thousand kilometers from the Malian capital Bamako.

The government has not made any comment.

Lieutenant-Colonel Hassan Fagaga who quit the Malian army in February is believed to have led the attacks.

Many of Mali's Tuaregs promote autonomy for their region as they feel neglected by the state.

Mali witnessed a northern insurgency¹ in the 1990s until the Malian army promised to integrate many of the rebels in a peace deal.

West Africa analyst² Olly Owen says the attacks do not come as a surprise.

"The northern desert has never really been under firm state control," Owen says. "Just recently there has been a whole resurgence³ of militarized activity in that area.  A colonel from the Malian army has deserted⁴ the army and is promoting autonomy for the region.  It could be that this latest incident is related to that, but we do not have any confirmation⁵ of that."

Owen believes it is unlikely the struggle will lead to a clear political separation from Mail.

"The whole idea of autonomy for the northern Malian region is a little bit illusory," Owen says. "There are real concerns about decentralization and decentralization of powers, and that is a prime concern.  But it is not a viable⁶ region in terms of it becoming a nation-state or any such thing."

The United States has been helping⁷ the Malian army in anti-terrorist training. 

1 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

2 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。

3 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。

4 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

5 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

6 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

7 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。