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Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Islamic countries call for halt to deadly clashes
MANILA -- An association of Islamic nations called on Monday for an immediate halt to clashes between government troops and Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines.
The clashes have killed at least 12 people and displaced more than 8,000 villagers.
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The secretary-general of the 47-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, appealed to the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to disengage their forces and take steps to avoid more violence.
Ihsanoglu urged both the MNLF and the government to abide by the provisions of a 1996 peace accord, which the OIC helped broker, and resume negotiations to fully implement it.
In response, the MNLF said it was willing to negotiate with Philippine authorities to prevent the escalation of hostilities, amid a call made by a Moro commander for a "jihad (holy war)" against the government.
Ihsanoglu will consult with the two sides about the creation of "a small military monitoring mission" which would help prevent any more violence, according to an OIC statement.
Philippine officials, however, said the recent military assaults were directed against MNLF commander Habier Malik and his men, and not against the rebel group, and government forces would continue to hunt him down to bring him to justice.
"What's going on now is a punitive action by the government on Malik and his men who committed criminal acts," Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis said.
"The action is not against the MNLF. We have a peace accord with them and that stays," Seguis told The Associated Press.
MNLF vice chairman Jimmy Labuan said in a separate interview that the group's hierarchy would like to prevent the escalation of violence between the military and Malik's group.
"The only way to put a stop to the ongoing conflict is to return to the negotiating table with the government but with the representative of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) present as mediator," Labuan said.
He said MNLF officials are just waiting for the official move from the government to pave the way for the talks.
Seguis said the Philippine government would provide the OIC with details of how the clashes started.
Malik's group launched mortar attacks that hit two marine camps and houses near Jolo's Panamao's town hall late Friday to Saturday, killing two marines and a child, the military said.
Fearing more attacks from Malik, a spiritual leader with 300-500 armed followers, the military deployed up to 3,000 troops and marines, backed by helicopter gunships, to seize Malik's Panamao camp over the weekend but failed to capture him, military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said.
Troops captured another MNLF encampment in nearby Talipao town Sunday, he said, then caught up with a small pocket of Malik's men Monday in a Panamao village, setting off a brief clash that killed one rebel, Bacarro said, adding a total of nine guerrillas have been killed.
"We're still running after him for these totally unprovoked attacks that have hurt civilians," military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said by telephone.
Malik has been suspected of providing sanctuary to al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf guerrillas and Indonesian terror suspects who have been on the run from a massive US-backed offensive that started in August, Esperon said.
It was not clear why Malik staged the attacks, but news reports quoted him as saying he wanted to avenge an incursion into an MNLF stronghold by troops pursuing Abu Sayyaf guerrillas last week.
It was not immediately possible to contact Malik and his supporters for comment, because communications in Jolo are poor.
The fighting has displaced about 42,000 civilians and claimed the lives of 18 people since the fighting broke out last Friday, said the Office of Civil Defense in Sulu.
Presidential adviser Jesus Dureza said about 8,000 villagers from Panamao and outlying towns have fled their homes and were being given food rations in government shelters.
Security has also been bolstered in Jolo's bustling main town to prevent Malik's group from staging bombings and diversionary attacks, officials said.
Malik, leader of the MNLF Jabal Uhod Command in Barangay Bitan-ag, reportedly issued the declaration of "jihad" on Friday night in retaliation for the military attack on Wednesday against Khaid Adjibun, chair of the Lupah Sug State Revolutionary Command.
US military civic projects, including road and school repairs, near the scene of fighting have been suspended for safety reasons, US military spokesman Maj. John Redfield said.
Malik captured national attention in February when he held 20 Philippine military officers for two days, demanding more benefits under a 1996 peace accord.
The guerrillas released the hostages after the OIC promised to discuss the accord with MNLF representatives in Saudi Arabia later this year.
The MNLF was the largest Muslim separatist group in the southern Philippines until it agreed to accept increased autonomy and signed the peace agreement with the government in September 1996. Many of its members, particularly those under Malik, refused to disarm and maintained strongholds on Jolo and nearby islands. (AP/With Ulysses E. Israel)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (April 17, 2007 issue)
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