VOA标准英语2009-Growing Violence in Somali Region Forces Aid

Two aid agencies operating in southern Somalia say deteriorating¹ security in recent days has forced them to withdraw their international and local staff from key towns in the Jubba regions.

Alisha Ryu | Nairobi 24 November 2009

Two aid agencies operating in southern Somalia say deteriorating security in recent days has forced them to withdraw their international and local staff from key towns in the Jubba regions. 

The regional spokesman for the United Nations' World Food Program, Peter Smerdon, tells VOA that the agency was forced to withdraw five local staff members from the town of Afmadow in Lower Jubba on Saturday.  

Smerdon says the move follows the evacuation of six WFP international workers from the town of Buale in Middle Jubba nine days ago.  Christian² humanitarian³ organization, World Vision, also flew out six members of its staff in Buale on the same day.

"In Afmadow, it was clashes between Islamist groups.  In Buale, it was because of security concerns, which I cannot go into," he said.

WFP and World Vision are two of only a handful of international aid agencies operating in Somalia's southern regions.  The United Nations says the evacuation of WFP staff is yet another blow to a country, where a third of its population, more than three-and-a-half million people, need urgent food aid.      

On Saturday, Somalia's al-Shabab militants⁴ took control of Afmadow after clashes with factions⁵ of an Islamist group called Hizbul Islam.  Residents there say at least 12 people were killed. Hundreds of families have reportedly fled, fearing more violence between the rival Islamist groups.

Hizbul Islam and al-Shabab had formed an alliance earlier in the year to oppose Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional federal government.  The two Islamist groups controlled much of southern Somalia, while they jointly⁶ fought to keep the government from wielding⁷ any power outside of a small area in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

But in October, two clan-based factions of Hizbul Islam declared war on al-Shabab in a power struggle over the the southern city of Kismayo.  Since then, they have been fighting for control of the entire Jubba Valley.

On Tuesday, the leader of Hizbul Islam, Hassan Dahir Aweys, broke months of silence by speaking to reporters outside Mogadishu.  He urged both Islamist groups to lay down their weapons and resolve their differences through the Islamic courts.

Aweys says he is concerned and distressed⁸ that two allies cannot solve disputes without resorting to violence.  He says al-Shabab should agree to use Islamic law, not guns, to resolve the conflict. 

Al-Shabab is believed to be a proxy⁹ for al-Qaida in Somalia and is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and Australia.

Analysts¹⁰ say Aweys may be in a difficult position because although he is the leader of Hizbul Islam, he holds little sway over the clan-based Islamists fighting against al-Shabab in the Jubba regions.

 

1 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 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。

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 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

7 wielding   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The rebels were wielding sticks of dynamite. 叛乱分子舞动着棒状炸药。
• He is wielding a knife. 他在挥舞着一把刀。

8 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

9 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。