2007年VOA标准英语-Mali Brands Recent Attacks Terrorism, Plans Reg

By Phuong Tran
Dakar
03 September 2007

Mali's government has denounced last week's deadly attacks in its northeastern desert region as acts of terrorism by Tuareg nomads², but Saharan experts say the government is only looking for international sympathy. Phuong Tran brings us more from VOA's West African Bureau in Dakar.

Netherlands-based nomad¹-culture researcher Benjamin Soares says the Minister of Foreign Affairs' televised speech last Saturday calling recent violence an international threat is an easy way for the government to get money.

Last week's violence has led to dozens of national army defections, government soldier kidnappings, and civilian³ deaths.

"I am certain that they would like to use such language as terrorism because it is likely to get attention outside of Mali," said Soares.

Mali receives military support and funds through the multi-million dollar U.S. Trans-Saharan Counter Terrorism Initiative. U.S. armed forces are conducting military training in Mali's capital, Bamako, as part of the initiative.

Anthropologist⁴ Soares says the real problem is ethnic⁵ marginalization, non-existent roads and services, and lack of access to mineral wealth in the Tuaregs' northeast desert home.

"There is a lot of discontent in the country. This is just another phase of an on-going problem that has not been resolved," he said. "These problems go back many decades."

Paris-based Terrorism analyst⁶ and criminologist Xavier Raufer says even though there may be Osama Bin⁷ Laden⁸ followers⁹ in the region, Mali's desert attacks do not pose an international threat and will not spread.

Raufer says recent violence is because of local grievances¹⁰, and a clan¹¹ leader getting his followers to attack.

"It is not big international manipulation, it is on the local level between clans¹² that are allied¹³ or hostile to each othe," he said.

No nomad clan has claimed responsibility, but Malian officials say Tuareg ex-rebel Ibrahim Bahanga is to blame.

Bahanga participated in the 1990's Tuareg revolt that ended in a peace deal promising¹⁴ more army integration¹⁵, better treatment, and economic development. A one-day revolt last year led by another Tuareg faction¹⁶ ended in a similar peace deal.

The leader of last year's revolt, ex-rebel Iyad Ag Ghaly, is currently pursuing talks with Bahanga on behalf of the government to release hostages and end fighting, according to a member of Ghaly's group.

Analysts¹⁷ who have worked closely with the nomads say factionalism and lack of a clear mission among fighters have crippled their ability to push for peace-deal enforcement.

Mali's government says it has honored its peace commitments, except creating youth employment, which it says is in development.

Malian officials have linked the resurgence¹⁸ of violence in its northeast to the seven-month Tuareg rebellion in Niger's uranium-rich Agadez region. Tuareg rebels and ex-rebels on both sides deny any military alliance.

Mali's Minister of Foreign Affairs Moctar Ouane has said the country will take a regional approach to quell¹⁹ the recent violence, without specifying²⁰ its partners.

Algeria led mediation²¹ efforts to end the 1990's Tuareg revolt in Mali. Niger is seeking help from Libya and Sudan in its own Tuareg rebellion.

Mali and Niger's defense²² ministers signed an agreement last month to fight weapons and drug smuggling²³, giving each side the right to pursue suspected traffickers across the shared border.

According to the United Nations, Mali and Niger's residents have the worst living conditions in the world.

1 nomad   

n.游牧部落的人，流浪者，游牧民

参考例句：

• He was indeed a nomad of no nationality.他的确是个无国籍的游民。
• The nomad life is rough and hazardous.游牧生活艰苦又危险。

2 nomads   

n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活

参考例句：

• For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
• Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 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。

7 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

8 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

9 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

10 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

13 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

14 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

15 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

16 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

17 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。

18 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。

19 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。

20 specifying   

v.指定( specify的现在分词 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性

参考例句：

• When we describe what the action will affect, we are specifying the noun of the sentence. 当描述动作会影响到什么时，我们指定组成句子的名词。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Procurement section only lists opportunistic infection drugs without specifying which drugs. 采购部分只说明有治疗机会性感染的药物，但并没有说明是什么药物。 来自互联网

21 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。

22 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。

23 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。