Nigeria's Top Lawmaker Fears Niger Delta Crisis May Escalate
尼日利亚议长担心暴力危机升级
The head of Nigeria's House of Representatives has warned that spiraling violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta is now a major national security threat. The warning came hours after gunmen abducted eight oil workers in three separate incidents on Friday. The most prominent armed group in the region has vowed new attacks to prove it did not receive protection money from the government.
尼日利亚众议院议长警告说，在盛产石油的尼日尔三角洲不断恶化的暴力问题已经对尼日利亚国家安全构成重大威胁。在他发出上述警告几个小时以前，武装分子星期五在三起事件中绑架了8名石油工人。该地区势力最大的武装组织宣布要发动新的袭击，以证明该组织没有从政府那里得到保护费。
Nigeria, the world's eighth largest oil exporter, is already suffering huge losses because of violence in the oil producing region.
尼日利亚是世界第8大原油出口国，但是在产油区发生的暴力袭击使尼日利亚遭受巨大损失。
Friday's attacks were the latest in the Niger Delta, the home of Africa 's biggest oil industry, which has become notorious for kidnappings and raids on oil sites since militants launched a campaign of sabotage two year ago.
星期五，在尼日尔三角洲又发生了几起袭击。尼日尔三角洲是非洲最大的石油基地，但是自从激进分子两年前开始发动各种破坏行动以来，那里不断发生绑架和对石油设施的袭击。
Thousands of foreign workers have left since 2006 as violence has spiraled, and some industry executives see the situation descending further into anarchy.
自从暴力袭击在2006年恶化以来，已经有数以千计的外国工人离开了尼日尔三角洲。一些石油公司管理者认为，这里的局势会进一步滑入无政府主义的深渊。
Nigeria's parliament Speaker Dimeji Bankole says the crisis is out of control and requires external intervention.
尼日利亚众议院议长班科莱说，目前的危机已经失控，需要外部干预。
"If care is not taken, it will begin to move out of the Niger Delta and consume the whole nation," he said. "And it is not rocket science to figure that out. This is no longer a Niger Delta problem, nor a Nigerian problem but a global problem."
他说：“我们每个人都很清楚尼日尔三角洲目前的问题，这些问题影响着尼日利亚的每个家庭。如果不谨慎处理，问题就会蔓延到尼日尔三角洲以外，吞噬整个国家。这种局面并不难想象。这已经不再是尼日尔三角洲的问题，也不是尼日利亚的问题了，而是全球性问题。”
More than 200 foreigners have been seized in the Niger Delta since early 2006. Almost all have been released unharmed. Armed men kidnapped two Germans working for a construction firm near Port Harcourt, the main city in the Niger Delta, two weeks ago.
自从2006年初以来，已经有200多名外国人在尼日尔三角洲遭到绑架。几乎所有人质都不受伤害地获释。两周以前，武装分子在尼日尔三角洲主要城市哈科特港附近绑架了为一家建筑公司工作的两名德国人。
Several foreign firms, including French tire company Michelin and oil servicing firm Wilbros, have left the region because of security problems.
包括法国轮胎公司米其林和石油服务公司威尔布罗斯在内的几家外国公司已经因为安全问题而离开尼日尔三角洲。
Relations and friends of prominent Nigerians have also been targeted by gangs seeking ransom money.
尼日利亚著名人士的亲友也成了帮派组织绑架和索取赎金的目标。
Violence in the Delta, a wetlands region, is rooted in poverty, corruption and lawlessness. Most inhabitants have seen few benefits from five decades of oil extraction that has damaged their environment.
尼日尔三角洲暴力问题的根源是贫穷、腐败和不法状态。50年的石油开采破坏了当地的自然环境，但是大部分居民没有从石油中获益。
The year-old administration of President Umaru YarAdua has repeatedly promised to address the root causes of the unrest.
刚刚成立一年的亚拉杜瓦总统的政府一再承诺要解决产生暴力的根源。
But there is widespread skepticism over the government's handling of the problem and concerns about the future.
但是许多人质疑政府处理这一问题的方法，而且对未来感到忧虑。
None of the many militant organizations in the Niger Delta has claimed responsibility for the latest abductions.
尼日尔三角洲有许多激进组织，不过还没有任何组织宣布对星期五发生的绑架事件负责。
