2007年VOA标准英语-AU Extends Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
19 July 2007

The 53-member African Union says its peacekeeping mission in Somalia has been extended another six months because U.N. forces are not ready to take over peacekeeping duties in the war-torn country.  Uganda, the only AU country with troops in Somalia, confirms that its 1,500 troops will stay despite a delay by other countries to deploy¹.  VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has details from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.

munitions2 in Mogadishu, Somalia, 16 June 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070723/0847530.jpg" width="166" vspace="2" border="0" />

Africa Union soldiers secure the area where they prepare to destroy weapons and munitions in Mogadishu, Somalia, 16 June 2007

Uganda's Minister of State for Defense³, Ruth Nankabirwa tells VOA that Ugandan troops, sent to Somalia's violent capital in March, have no choice, but to remain in place until the African Union, says otherwise.

"Of course, it cannot be an indefinite deployment," she said.  "But what is important to note is that we cannot just withdraw.  We were deployed⁴ by an authority.  That authority has to guide us on how to withdraw."

The AU mission was approved on January 19, three weeks after an Ethiopia-led military campaign ousted⁵ Somalia's Islamist movement from power in Mogadishu.  

The mission carried a six-month mandate⁶ to help stabilize⁷ Somalia and protect the country's internationally recognized, but weak interim⁸ government.  A force of about 8,000 African Union soldiers from half-a-dozen countries was supposed to deploy and then be replaced by a U.N. peacekeeping force when the mandate expired.

But late Wednesday, the African Union announced that it would continue the mission, because the United Nations could not meet the deadline to deploy troops in Somalia.  

The decision to extend the AU mandate for another six months comes amid increasing concern that Uganda may be the only member country willing and able to contribute troops to the mission.

Burundi, Ghana, Malawi, and Nigeria all pledged to send soldiers to Somalia. But none have been deployed.  Last week, Burundi said 1,000 of its troops were still waiting for military equipment and money from France and the United States.

Since March, five Ugandan peacekeepers have been killed in the Somali capital in violence blamed largely on insurgents⁹ opposed to the interim government and the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia.  

In the latest outbreak of violence on Thursday, insurgents and government troops battled with machine guns, mortars¹⁰, and rocket-propelled grenades inside Mogadishu's sprawling¹¹ Bakara Market.

The fighting came just hours ahead of the start of government-hosted reconciliation¹² talks in the capital, which have been postponed¹³ numerous times because of the lack of security.

The interim government says the mostly clan¹⁴-based peace conference is aimed at addressing the root causes of Somalia's instability.  It has invited more than 1,300 clan leaders and Somali intellectuals to attend.

Hundreds of other Somalis, including Islamists and civil society leaders, are boycotting¹⁵ the conference.   They accuse the government, among other things, of refusing to include opponents in power-sharing deals.

1 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

2 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 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。

5 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

6 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

7 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

8 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。

9 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

10 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分

11 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

12 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。

13 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

14 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。

15 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。