VOA标准英语2008年-Somali Refugees Head to Nairobi's 'Little Mogad

By Derek Kilner
Nairobi
20 June 2008

As fighting in Somalia between Islamist insurgents¹ and the transitional government backed by Ethiopian troops has intensified² over the past year, thousands of refugees have been streaming into neighboring Kenya, despite the Kenyan government's decision to close the border in January. While the majority take up residence in the vast refugee camps near the border, many skip the camps and head for the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Derek Kilner has more from VOA's East Africa bureau.
　

Somali refugee women walk by business structures in Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh, an area which is frequented by Somalis, 26 Nov 2007

Since Somalia's government collapsed³ in 1991, tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Somalis have made their way to the Kenyan capital. Most of them head to the neighborhood of Eastleigh, on the outskirts⁴ of downtown Nairobi, transforming what was once an enclave for Kenya's Indian population into what has come to be known as "Little Mogadishu."

The air is filled with the sounds of the Somali language and the smell of Somali food and spices. Somali men gather to talk outside small mosques⁵ and women pass by in hijabs. But what strikes the visitor most is the bustle⁶ of one of Nairobi's most thriving commercial centers.

Aided by an extensive smuggling⁷ network, the neighborhood is a major regional hub for low-priced goods. The narrow streets are lined with shops, stalls, and makeshift stands offering everything from textiles and used clothing to the mild leafy stimulant⁸ known as kaat.

Kenya has a sizable ethnic⁹ Somali population, and many of the shop-owners are Kenyans. But much of the economy is driven by Somalis working informally, lacking Kenyan immigration papers and, having chosen to avoid the refugee camps, lacking documented refugee status and assistance from the United Nations.

Mohamed Ahmed Yahye works in a street-front shop selling shampoo, perfume and other products. He says he works all day and doesn't have the time to apply for refugee status. He says he makes enough to pay his rent and put food on the table, but nothing extra.

Mulki Abdullahi, who sells textiles from a sidewalk stand, fled from Somalia as a young girl in the early years of the civil war. Now in her early 20s she has spent nearly her whole life in Eastleigh, but her status is just as precarious¹⁰.

Many of the young Somalis in Eastleigh cannot even find informal work. Adam Yusuf Jimale came to Nairobi in 2003, after spending two years at the Kakuma refugee camp near the Sudan-Kenya border.

"There is no place to work, because I am refugee," he said. "I live with my friends. I don't like to stay in this country, because many times I look for the job, everything depends on the ID."

Yusuf Issak, who was a high school principal in Mogadishu, has been in Nairobi for six months.

"Registration¹¹ is not something easy, it's too difficult," he explained. "Until now we are searching to get registration. I have tried many times.

The steady stream of new arrivals from Somalia has driven up housing costs. Abdi Nasr Kujufay, who was a teacher in Mogadishu, fled to Kenya in October last year.

"The rent is very expensive," he noted¹². "Other expenses are very expensive. It's very hard."

Many Kenyans have been priced out of the neighborhood, with Somalis sharing apartments, sometimes as many as nine or 10 to a room. Those without work often stay with relatives or friends who have jobs, or who receive money from family abroad. Issak, the former principal, receives money from relatives in Australia and Britain.

The exploding population and commerce has overwhelmed the neighborhood's aging infrastructure¹³. Unpaved roads become sticky with mud when it rains or dusty when the weather is dry. The narrow streets are perpetually jammed with traffic and trash piles up on the side of the road. With the Kenyan government largely turning a blind eye to the refugee population, the neighborhood receives little in the way of public services.

With few police around, crime is also a problem. Muggings and carjacking are common, and the neighborhood, many say, is the place to go to purchase automatic weapons.

When police do come to Eastleigh, it is often to crack down on undocumented aliens. The Somali population has been a source of terrorism concerns, and sweeps have often followed terrorist attacks like the 2005 London bombings, when East African Muslims were suspected of involvement.

Despite the struggles of daily life, Issak says things are much better than in the country he left.

"The difficulty is about the document only," he said. "There is fighting in Mogadishu, but I prefer to stay here. One day I will get that document as I hope, after that I will leave to Australia."

Like most refugees in Eastleigh, Issak would like to return to Somalia when fighting ends. But with international peace efforts showing few signs of slowing the conflict, it may be a long time yet before he sees his home.

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

6 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

7 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。

8 stimulant   

n.刺激物，兴奋剂

参考例句：

• It is used in medicine for its stimulant quality.由于它有兴奋剂的特性而被应用于医学。
• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。

9 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。

10 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

11 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。