BANGSAMORO Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua on Wednesday, October 1, vowed to launch a full investigation into the brutal beheading of a Teduray tribal leader in Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao del Sur, the latest in a string of violent attacks on non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (IPs) tied to ancestral land disputes.
“I will just talk to the security sector first because I don’t have the accurate information, but BARMM will (investigate) because we don’t want this thing to happen to our IP brothers,” Macacua said on the sidelines of the Mindanao Development Forum. He added that the regional government intends to identify the killers, including alleged Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members, and pursue cases and disciplinary action.
The victim was identified as Nel Lupos, 60, a former village councilor of Barangay Mantao and resident of Limpongo. According to Timuay Leticio Datuwata, head of the Timuay Justice and Governance of the Teduray-Lambangian tribe, armed men stormed Lupos’ nipa hut on September 30 and beheaded him.
Lupos is the 102nd non-Moro IP leader killed in BARMM in connection with ancestral land conflicts, Datuwata said. His killing has deepened fears among the Teduray-Lambangian, who have long accused armed groups of targeting leaders who refuse to surrender ancestral territories.
Despite military deployment in the area, attacks have continued. In December 2024, tribal leader Baywan Angan was killed, followed days later by the murder of his wife, who had identified the assailants. In February this year, 65-year-old Fernando Promboy was also found beheaded, while his cousin, Juanito, an IP representative, was shot dead in 2023.
“This unending violence targets tribesmen who refuse to give up their ancestral lands. When you resist, they kill you,” Datuwata said, blaming the same armed group for the series of killings.
Frustrated by what he described as government inaction, Datuwata said he has stopped issuing formal condemnations. The latest killing, he added, underscores the urgent need for stronger state protection for non-Moro IP communities in Barmm. DEF
