A GROUP of Moro youth leaders from conflict-affected areas in Mindanao do not support the declaration of the martial law extension until December as reports of continuous discriminations done to the Muslim sector since the first term of the declaration were observed.
Movement of Young Peace Builders of Mindanao (MYPBM) Representative Esnaira Salem, during Kapehan sa Dabaw held at The Annex of SM City Davao on Monday, July 24, said Moro youth are the ones greatly affected by the war between government troops and terrorist group in Marawi City as their innocence is being disrupted with discord.
It was not clear how and when the movement was formed, how big they are, and from what areas their members are.
Salem said many Moro youth are hesitant to engage in activities that involve out-of-town trips as they are being questioned by military personnel every time they enter certain places.
She narrated the issue that happened in a skills training trip of Iranun youth somewhere in Cotabato City last week. She said the youth complained that upon checkpoint going inside Cotabato City, there were soldiers who followed their van and surrounded the hotel they were staying in.
"Our youth were very confused on what was happening because they were plainly there for the workshop," Salem said.
Because of martial law, she added, the heightened security has caused fears among Muslims as they might be held accountable on being one of the suspected terrorists.
Salem said Moro youth leaders hope that the security approach of the government against terrorism during martial law may not become a threat to the welfare of the whole Muslim sector, especially to the youth. She added that equal share of peace and order assured by the government shall be given to all regardless of religion and race of a person.
Aside from the discrimination caused by martial law, she added that Rido, a feuding conflict between families and clans, is also rampant in the present time, aggravating the current status of peace in some areas.
"It stressed us, to be honest. We do not know, as youth, how to handle the pressures of the ongoing conflict of many clans in our areas and the threats and discrimination brought by martial law," Salem said.
However, she said Moro youth leaders respect the declaration of martial law despite its subsequent effect to them by uniting all 50 Moro youth leaders to form MYPBM and take active part in multi-sectoral efforts and initiatives that promote conflict resolution and diversity.
Salem said the youth remain an untapped asset for creating conflict-resilient communities by looking for alternative ways to address emerging threats of violence in Mindanao.