VOA标准英语2014--1,000 Dead in Nigeria Communal Violence 尼日利亚公共暴力造成1000人死亡

 

1,000 Dead in Nigeria Communal¹ Violence 尼日利亚公共暴力造成1000人死亡

While attacks by the militant² group Boko Haram have killed many people in northern Nigeria, communal violence is also taking a toll³. The group Human Rights Watch saID since December more than one thousand people have been killed in five northern states.

HRW researcher Mausi Segun said that communal violence is a common occurrence.

“The violence has been almost on a daily basis in some places like Benue State and in a few other places you’ve had it almost on a weekly basis.”

Speaking from the capital Abuja, Segun said communal violence has gone on for years in northern Nigeria. But she warned it’s now spreading.

“A lot of it we have been able to trace to tensions between the pastoralist herdsmen, who are nomadic⁴, and farmers who find that their farmlands and their crops have been destroyed by the cattle of the herdsmen. And then you’ll have the herdsmen, on the other hand, also complaining about killing⁵ of the cattle, which [are] really a prized treasure to them,” she said.

Segun said that violence begets⁶ violence in northern Nigeria.

“There might be revenge killings⁷ very soon because we can sense the frustration⁸ of the people that there is no justice. There is no accountability for any of these attacks. These are very vicious crimes that have taken place. People have lost their family members, their limbs and property.”

Human Rights Watch agreed there is little government follow-up.

Segun said, “Not in any of these attacks has there been any open or comprehensive investigation⁹ of those who are responsible for the attacks. We have spoken to scores of people, who have been victims of these attacks and the recurring¹⁰ story is that no one from the security agencies – neither from the police – nor from the military – has been [there] to take notes and to hear from them what they saw.”

She said there may be a link between some of the communal violence and the militant group Boko Haram.

“Some of the victims that we’ve spoken to have talked about seeing individuals who they claim may not be the same herdsmen that they’re used to in their environment. They seem to be foreign to them. And so there seems to be some mercenary work going on as well. But there really isn’t much to be said on the part of the government to take steps to [put] all of this in check,” she said.

A few weeks ago, the Nigerian military announced that forces had been deployed¹¹ to some of the areas hardest hit by the violence – particularly, Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau States.

“Unfortunately, a couple of days after that there was an attack, which has been blamed on security forces in Keana town against the Fulani community in which at least 30 people are said to have died. I’ve spoken to victims of that attack and they confirm that these are military authorities. The authorities have said they are investigating that attack,” she said.

Human Rights Watch has made a number of recommendations to quell¹² the communal violence in northern Nigeria. These include establishing clear boundaries for cattle routes and grazing areas – setting-up mediation¹³ between farmers and herders on recognizing each others rights – and ensuring that those believed responsible for mass killings are promptly¹⁴ investigated by specially¹⁵ trained police and then prosecuted¹⁶.

 

The group said that the “lack of justice for years of violence…has created a combustible¹⁷ situation.”

1 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

2 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。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 begets   

v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起

参考例句：

• It begets at least seven standard type offspring from such matings. 这类交配中生下至少七个标准型后代。 来自辞典例句
• Violence begets violence until the innocent perish with the guilty. 暴力招致暴力直到这因罪行而无缘无故的毁灭。 来自电影对白

7 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

8 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

11 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。

12 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

13 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

14 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

15 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

16 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

17 combustible   

a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物

参考例句：

• Don't smoke near combustible materials. 别在易燃的材料附近吸烟。
• We mustn't take combustible goods aboard. 我们不可带易燃品上车。