Villagers return home as MILF infighting ends
COTABATO CITY—Warring field commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Special Geographic Area of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have agreed to silence their guns on Wednesday following skirmishes over a longstanding land dispute that claimed two lives.
Abdullah Abas, acting mayor of Tugunan town, presided over the signing of commitment for a ceasefire, with the warring parties agreeing on a mechanism to keep the peace while they try to settle their differences.
Kandotoy Abdullah, leader of the MILF’s National Guard, and fellow leader Apang Abdulkarim of the group’s 118th Base Command, agreed to reconcile and pledged to support measures ensuring stability and mutual understanding in their communities, and to prevent another breakout of bloodshed.
Abas said that more than 300 families displaced by the conflict that started on Sunday had returned home as normalcy had been restored in the villages of Balong and Macabual.
Watching communities
“This is good and we are glad they both agreed to a ceasefire so our brothers and sisters who are fasting [during the holy month of Ramadan] can perform the religious obligation peacefully,” Abas told the Inquirer in a phone interview.
The Philippine Army has sent peacekeeping forces to Balong and Macabual to ensure that both sides will not resume fighting while the government-initiated settlement of the land ownership dispute is underway.
“The [Army’s] 40th Infantry Battalion (IB) and the local police are continuously monitoring the area and are ready to intervene in case firefight reoccurs,” said Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, spokesperson for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
Three high-powered firearms were recovered from the clash site following the military’s clearing operation, said Lt. Col. Erwin Jay Dumaghan, commander of the 40th IB.
Dumaghan said it was a consolation that the skirmishes did not spill over to other villages, and were confined to only Balong and Macabual where the disputed property is located.
The BARMM’s Ministry of Social Services and Development counted 708 affected families, including those who did not evacuate, from the villages of Macabual and Balon.
These families were provided emergency relief assistance consisting of food packs and hygiene and sleeping kits.
On Sunday, Commander Pli Zacaria was shot and killed while emerging from a mosque where he had performed the “tarawee” (night prayer) during Ramadan. His brother, Apang, blamed the group of Abdullah for the murder and attacked his position at Sitio Kaltan in Barangay Macabual, killing one of the latter’s followers.
The hostilities escalated and went out of control until the government soldiers and policemen intervened.
