MANILA, Philippines—There’s nothing to withdraw, or the occupation is just “normal positioning.”

Ghadzali Jaafar, vice chair on political affairs of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Thursday said that the MILF fighters supposedly forcibly occupying villages in North Cotabato since July 1 were “local MILF.”

“We don’t have anything to withdraw,” Jaafar said, referring to the government’s appeal for the MILF leadership to order its troops to leave the occupied barangays (villages).

Eid Kabalu, MILF civil-military affairs chief, denied that there was occupation of the five towns as claimed by the Philippine government, but his story differed from Jaafar’s.

“There are MILF guerrillas positioned in some villages of Aleosan and Midsayap towns but there is no permanent occupation. Just part of normal strategy on troop positioning during wars,” he said.

“Those they are claiming to have occupied the lands have long been there. That is not incursion because they have been there for a long time,” Jaafar said. “I doubt if there are new ones there.”

Jaafar told reporters by telephone from his Mindanao base that the MILF leadership instead wanted an “impartial investigation” into the alleged incidents.

If MILF fighters are found to have “positioned” themselves “in areas where they should not be,” Jaafar said they would be asked to leave.

“We will comply. We respect the ceasefire agreement as we have been explaining to everybody,” he said.

Kabalu also said that the MILF would ask the international community to intervene in North Cotabato.

He said that the Organization of Islamic Conference had expressed growing interest in Mindanao and could help resolve the impasse.

Kabalu also said the positioning of MILF troops in the villages of Baliki in Midsayap and Pagangan in Aleosan was only temporary. “They do not intend to live in the said areas forever,” he said.

A big lie

He said the problem was being worsened by local officials who had been instigating Christian residents to take up arms against the Muslims.

“They are telling Christian civilians that the Muslims are coming to take their lands away, which is a big lie,” he said.

Kabalu said this was not the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity envisioned in the memorandum of agreement (MOA) whose signing on Tuesday was temporarily called off following the Supreme Court’s intervention at the behest of North Cotabato officials.

“This is not what the BJE is all about,” said Kabalu, who said that this would be properly explained at the right time.

Militias started it all

“We do not understand why North Cotabato officials are insisting that they will be forcibly taken under the BJE. That’s why there is the provision on plebiscite so that their people can decide,” he said.

“Let us not relive the animosity created by the previous wars but let us work together to resolve whatever differences we have through dialogues,” Kabalu said.

Ceasefire committees

Kabalu said that the joint ceasefire committees were now attempting to defuse the situation in Midsayap and Aleosan.

He said that MILF forces did not start hostilities.

“The militiamen in these areas harassed MILF troops in nearby villages and that started all of these,” Kabalu said. With reports from Nash Maulana, Edwin O. Fernandez and Grace Cantal-Albasin, Inquirer Mindanao