2007年VOA标准英语-In Niger, Former Soldiers Defect to Rebel Group

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
11 September 2007

An ex-sergeant of the Nigerien Army says he and more than 10 other former soldiers have joined the rebel movement, Niger Movement for Justice. He is calling on all soldiers to refuse to put themselves in danger for a government he says does not represent the interests of the country. The Niger Movement for Justice has attacked military bases and government installations since launching its uprising in February. Naomi Schwarz has more from Dakar.

Hayo Moussa says he joined the Nigerien Army in 1992, and served loyally for more than 10 years. But after being kicked out and imprisoned¹ in 2002 after a military uprising, in which he says he was unfairly accused of participating, Moussa now says he is joining a rebel movement.

The rebel group, the Niger Movement for Justice was formed in February, and has conducted a series of attacks against the government and military. The movement is led by Tuaregs, a nomadic² ethnic³ minority that says the government does not allow them fair representation or equal rights.

Treaties signed in the mid-1990s ended an earlier period of open revolt among the Tuaregs of Niger and Mali. The Nigerien government has called for international support to help resolve the new wave of rebellion.

Moussa, acting⁴ as a spokesman for former soldiers turned rebels, says non-Tuareg Nigeriens also have reason to join the uprising.

Moussa says the government is spending money that was meant for the military. He says that while out in the field, impoverished⁵ soldiers are being massacred for no good reason.

He says the most dangerous assignments, in the interior of the country, are given to soldiers from poor families, while those with rich parents are assigned to what he says are less risky⁶ missions abroad.

The rebel movement has killed more than 40 soldiers since the uprising began in February and has captured many others.

In July, another group of soldiers, led by Major Kindo Zada, also defected to the rebels. But Africa analyst⁷ Rolake Akinola with British-based consulting firm Control Risks says she does not believe the defectors will have much impact on the political situation in Niger.

"There is nothing to suggest that there is a big rebellion imminent⁸ in terms of from within the army," said Risks. "I see these as marginalized soldiers."

She says the main issue at the heart of the rebellion seems to be mineral resources. Niger has significant oil and uranium reserves, especially in the north of the country where the rebels are based.

But the people of the land-locked country have yet to see substantial gains from mineral exports, and the country is consistently ranked by the United Nations Development program as one of the world's poorest nations.

1 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

2 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。

3 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。

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

7 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。

8 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。