MILF to gov’t: Bring back truce monitors

Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim —PHOTO COURTESY OF BANGSAMORO INFORMATION OFFICE

KORONADAL CITY — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is seeking the return of the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team (IMT), the independent foreign peacekeepers who left Mindanao a year ago after the Philippine government failed to renew their mandate in the Mindanao peace process.

In a resolution passed earlier this month, the MILF central committee headed by MILF chair Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, concurrent interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro, appealed to President Marcos to allow the IMT back in Mindanao to ensure that the gains of the peace process would be protected.

The MILF’s call for the government to sanction the return of IMT to Mindanao followed the deaths of seven MILF members in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao del Sur, during a law enforcement operation conducted by the police and military on June 18.

“[The Government of the Philippines or GPH should] sanction the immediate return of the [IMT] to ensure that [the] ceasefire is preserved,” the front’s highest organ said in a resolution signed by Ebrahim and Abunawas “Von Al Haq” Maslamama, acting MILF central committee secretary, on June 20.

It cited the Annex on Normalization of the peace deal, which provided that IMT, including other mechanisms in the Bangsamoro peace process such as the GPH-MILF coordinating committee on the cessation of hostilities and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), would continue doing their functions to guard the fragile peace in the region even after the agreement had been signed.

Not renewed

It said the nonrenewal of the terms of reference of IMT in January 2023 had “impacts on the implementation of cessation of hostilities, including violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.”

IMT was a peacekeeping force composed of military contingents from Malaysia, Brunei and Libya and development experts from Japan, Norway and the European Union. First deployed in Mindanao in October 2004, it was tasked to observe and monitor the implementation of the cessation of hostilities and the humanitarian, rehabilitation and development aspects of the peace deal.

But members of IMT left Mindanao on June 30 last year after their authority to stay as ceasefire monitors, which had to be renewed each year, was not extended by the administration of then outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.

In notifying the countries involved of the government’s decision not to renew IMT’s mandate, the Department of Foreign Affairs cited the successful enforcement of the peace agreement, including the establishment of the expanded Muslim autonomous region, administered by former Moro rebel commanders.

According to the MILF, the “loss of lives and injustice” during the June 18 government operation in Maguindanao del Sur could have been prevented had the operating team followed the guidelines of AHJAG, a mechanism in the Bangsamoro peace process that responds to criminality and terrorism in areas with MILF presence.

Maj. Gen. Alex Rillera, commander of the military’s Joint Task Force Central, earlier said the troops were serving search warrants for two of those killed for alleged violation of Republic Act No. 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

Rillera said the troops were met with gunfire, forcing them to retaliate.

He also claimed that the seven persons killed were members of the Islamic State-aligned Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, which the MILF had disputed.

READ: MILF seeks independent probe on deadly Datu Paglas ops