COTABATO CITY, Philippines—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Wednesday said renegade rebel leader Ameril Umbra Kato was a “creation” of the Philippine government’s failure to sign an earlier agreement with the rebel group.
Khaled Musa, deputy chair of the MILF Committee on Information, said that Kato, current head of the splinter group called Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM), became disobedient to the MILF central committee and criticized its leaders after the failed signing Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain between the then incumbent Arroyo government and the MILF. The MOA-AD would have paved the way for the setting up of a Bangsamoro autonomy with more regional powers.
“After the government reneged on signing the MOA-AD in 2008, Kato started to criticize the MILF leadership for engaging in endless and useless negotiations with the government,” Musa said in a statement posted on the group’s website.
But he also lambasted Kato and his men in the BIFM for committing atrocities against fallen fighters of the MILF in last month’s skirmishes in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguidanao.
In the armed conflict between Adzmie of the MILF and Abunawas, commander of the BIFM, which was brought about by a land dispute in Barangay Balanaken, Datu Piang, at least 24 guerillas from both sides were reported killed.
“BIFM forces gouged out the eyes of dead MILF forces, cut off their sex organs, ears and tongues, which Islam strictly forbids even to a non-Muslim,” Musa said.
Musa said the atrocities committed by Kato and his followers were also raised by the government peace panel.
He said the government panel also raised the issue of Kato forces recruiting minors as soldiers as shown in video and photos taken by journalists who interviewed the renegade leader recently in his hideout in Maguindanao.
The MILF central committee is discussing Kato’s case, one of the contentious issues presented by the government panel during the August 22-24 formal peace negotiations in Kuala Lumpur.
In that meeting, chief government negotiator Marvic Leonen presented the government’s “enhanced autonomy” counter-proposal to the MILF’s proposed sub-state in Mindanao.
The MILF rejected the content but accepted the draft proposal for final discussion and deliberation in the MILF central committee.
Kato has been declared “bughaat” (Arabic for disobedient) by the MILF central committee for his continued defiance and rejection of the MILF central committee’s directives.
The government peace panel has asked the MILF for a time frame to “settle internally” the issue of Kato.
Musa said the MILF would inform the government on Kato’s case through the Malaysian facilitator.