2006年VOA标准英语-Four Somalia Government Ministers Resign

By Alisha Ryu
Mogadishu
24 May 2006

In a severe blow to efforts to establish a functioning government in the Horn of Africa country of Somalia, four elected ministers, all based in the capital Mogadishu, have announced that they are quitting the government.

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Mohammed Qanyare Afrah
(File photo - Oct. 7, 2004)   
  

The minister for national security in Somalia's struggling transitional national government, Mohammed Qanyare Afrah, says he and three other ministers agreed several days ago to withdraw from government, currently located in the provincial¹ town of Baidoa, 240 kilometers west of the capital.

Wednesday was the deadline for the ministers to formally join the parliamentary body, which has the backing of the United Nations, but remains² largely powerless.

Qanyare tells VOA that he is quitting his cabinet post because the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Ali Gedi and President Abdullahi Yusuf are not interested in restoring security in Mogadishu.

"They are not considering the job we are doing. Mogadishu has no security. We are working on security to fight terrorism. They are against us because they are siding with the terrorists," he said.

The other three disaffected³ ministers are the minister of religion, Omar Finish, the minister of the disarmament of militias⁴, Botan Ise Alin, and the minister of trade, Muse⁵ Sudi Yalahow.

Yalahow accused transitional government leaders of being ineffective and lazy.

Yalahow says the government does not want to come to Mogadishu because it is happy doing nothing in Baidoa. He says the people of Mogadishu do not need a government that does nothing.

Yalahow, Qanyare, and their two colleagues are powerful factional leaders in the capital and senior-ranking members of the newly-formed, 11-member anti-terror group, the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism. The group's aim, they say, is to rid the country of Muslim extremists, who are attempting to turn Somalia into another Afghanistan.

But many Somalis say they believe the real reason why the four factional leaders are pulling out of the government is because they are angry over recent comments made by President Yusuf.

President Yusuf accused the United States of funding the anti-terror alliance, adding that Washington should be working with interim⁶ government leaders to bring stability to Somalia, not giving money to warlords to chase down terrorists.

The alliance flatly denies it is receiving U.S. help. The United States has long viewed Somalia as a potential haven⁷ for Islamic militants⁸. But U.S. officials say the United States is not giving direct assistance to the anti-terror group.

Somalia's interim government was formed in neighboring Kenya in late 2004, but internal splits have always threatened to scuttle⁹ the 14th attempt to restore central rule to the country in 15 years.

1 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 disaffected   

adj.（政治上）不满的，叛离的

参考例句：

• He attracts disaffected voters.他吸引了心怀不满的选民们。
• Environmental issues provided a rallying point for people disaffected with the government.环境问题把对政府不满的人们凝聚了起来。

4 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

5 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

6 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。

7 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。

8 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。

9 scuttle   

v.急赶，疾走，逃避；n.天窗；舷窗

参考例句：

• There was a general scuttle for shelter when the rain began to fall heavily.下大雨了，人们都飞跑着寻找躲雨的地方。
• The scuttle was open,and the good daylight shone in.明朗的亮光从敞开的小窗中照了进来。