2007年VOA标准英语-Mali's Army Takes Control in Northeast Part of

By Selah Hennessy
Dakar
27 September 2007

Army troops in Mali have retaken an area in the northeast of the country that was controlled by rebel Tuareg fighters. The largely nomadic¹, Berber Tuareg have carried out a series of raids in the isolated² desert-region during recent weeks, but analysts³ say the government and rebels are now looking for a diplomatic end to the fighting. Selah Hennessy reports from the VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar.

The spokesman for Mali's army, Colonel Abdoulaye Coulibaly, says the military has taken control of the entire area of Tinzaouatene, a remote town near Mali's border with Algeria.

He also says the rebels have released a hostage.

The Tuareg fighters, lead by Ibrahim Bahanga, kidnapped dozens of soldiers and government officials during an August raid. An initial group of seven hostages was released last week in an effort, according to the rebels, to demonstrate their commitment to peace.

Coulibaly says the army is working to remove landmines⁴ planted by the rebels in Tinzaouatene. He says the local population is paralyzed out of fear of stepping on a deadly mine.

The Tuareg waged a series of attacks against the national army in Mali's isolated northeast desert region at the end of August and into September.

The campaign threatened to re-ignite a long-standing conflict between the Tuareg minority and the state. Mali's Tuareg say they are politically and economically marginalized by the darker-skinned people of the south.

David Zounmenou, an Africa specialist at the Pretoria-based South African Institute for Security Studies, says relative calm has returned to the region in the last week because both sides want peace.

"The rebels have already decided⁵ to end the hostilities⁶ and to enter into discussions with the government to find a domestic solution to the crisis," he said.

But he says the government has still not fulfilled many of the promises made in a 2006 peace deal, which pledged increased development for the Tuareg-dominated north.

"If the government of Mali does not keep a domestic solution to the problem, it will be very difficult for them to resolve that conflict," added Zounmenou.

As part of his bid to mediate⁷ peace with the Tuareg, Mali's president Amadou Toumani Toure has promised to distribute a $2 million fund aimed at development in the north.

A Tuareg rebellion in neighboring Niger, which has killed more than 40 soldiers, is ongoing⁸.

1 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。

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 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。

4 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

7 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。