MILF bars ground units from taking part in government’s decommissioning of combatants
DAVAO CITY—The leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has cascaded down to its front and base commanders the decision of its central committee not to participate in the government’s decommissioning process unless the socioeconomic aspects of normalization keep pace.
This was contained in a memorandum order that MILF chair Murad Ebrahim issued to all front and base commanders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of MILF, and other line agencies of the former rebel group over the weekend.
Ebrahim, in a directive issued on Saturday, barred the MILF commanders from attending or participating in the “unilateral” normalization activities organized by the national government and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru) without prior approval and authority of the MILF leadership.
It followed the July 19 resolution by the MILF’s central committee to temporarily suspend the fourth and final phase of the decommissioning process until the socioeconomic benefits promised under the peace agreement were fulfilled.
“It is important that all front commanders, base commanders, heads of line agencies of the organization and their subordinates strictly observe protocol and official channels in dealing with our national government counterparts,” Ebrahim said in Memorandum Order No. 037.
He added: “Effective immediately, no front commander, base commander, designated deputy commanders or heads of other line agencies and their representatives shall participate in any decommissioning or normalization activities unilaterally organized by the national government and the Opapru without prior written approval or authorization from the chairman of the MILF.”
It warned that noncompliance would constitute “breach of command discipline” and could be grounds for administrative and disciplinary action.
The decommissioning of former MILF combatants is part of the Annex on Normalization, an integral part of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which among others, constitutes the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the final peace deal signed by the government and the MILF in 2014.
Unfulfilled promises
So far, 26,145 MILF combatants have been decommissioned, or 65 percent of the 40,000-strong MILF forces.
But the MILF central body lamented that of the 26,145 decommissioned MILF members, “not a single one has successfully undergone ‘transition to productive civilian life,’” as other interventions for decommissioning were not provided, save for the P100,000 per combatant.
Ebrahim has said that to be true to the letter and spirit of the Annex on Normalization, there should be some showing of substantial compliance with the socioeconomic interventions for combatants profiled for decommissioning.
Section C Item 9 of the normalization annex states that the decommissioning of MILF forces shall be parallel and commensurate with the implementation of the agreements of the parties.
