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19 May 2009 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
expresses grave concern on the recent spate of
conflict in Maguindanao,one of five provinces under
the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) which
has forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes.
Both sides of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
and the government have accused each other of
violating a fragile truce signed in 2001. Today,
thousands of people are again cramped in evacuation
centers, joining the increasing number of internally
displaced persons in Mindanao. Some lost their family
members to the war, while most are forced to leave
home.
On April 28, 2009 four innocent Muslim civilians were
reportedly found dead in Shariff Aguak with their
heads beheaded and bodies mutilated by gun shots and
bladed weapons. Houses have also been burned.
This turn of events could further erode the community
initiatives for the peaceful resolution of conflict
and the development gains in Mindanao.
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring
Centre (IDMC), a Geneva-based leading international
body monitoring conflict-induced internal
displacement, the Philippines ranked first in the
number of IDPs worldwide by registering 600,000
evacuees in 2008. This figure is higher than that of
Sudan (550,000) -- a country similarly long beset by
internal armed conflict.
The 600,000 IDPs in Mindanao topped that of Kenya
(500,000), Democratic Republic of Congo (at least
400,000), Iraq (360,000), Pakistan (over 310,000),
Somalia (300,000), Colombia (270,000), Sri Lanka
(230,000) and India (over 220,000).
We appeal for the immediate suspension of military
operations in the communities in Mindanao. The SOMO is
a confidence building measure to allow existing
ceasefire mechanisms to work and enable communities to
return to their homes.
We also appeal to the leadership of both the
government and the MILF to demonstrate commitment to
peace by creating an atmosphere open for dialogues and
negotiations.
We call on the support of the international community
to avert the humanitarian crisis in Mindanao and
support the peoples call for peace. We believe that
the foundation of peace and development rests on
respect and recognition of the rights of the people to
live humanely, pursue opportunities and be able to
genuinely participate in governance.
Mindanao has suffered more than enough. The decades
old war had turned children into orphans, mothers into
widows and had effectively put them in the margins. It
has generated thousands of internally displaced
persons who have no other option but to live their
lives in fear and unable to pursue their dreams for a
better life.
In 2008, after the failed signing of the Memorandum of
Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), conflict
interrupted and displaced the lives of an estimated
600,000 people in Mindanao. Before the upsurge in
fighting, it was estimated that the conflict had
displaced more than two million people since 2000.
Their voices are drowned by the sound of bombs and
guns.
Public resources allocated for bullets and bombs could
be better spent for education, health and basic
services in Mindanao and in laying the ground for
social and physical development infrastructure.
We continue to take on the responsibility to build
partnerships with communities and peoples in Mindanao
and in Southeast Asia. We believe that peace dialogues
can never take place in an atmosphere of mistrust and
hostility.
We firmly call on government and the MILF to listen to
the plea of Mindanawans to stop the bloodshed in
Mindanao and allow genuine peace to reign in the
island. We reiterate our call to the international
community to avert the humanitarian crisis in Mindanao
and help its people to rebuild and regain control over
their lives . Your solidarity in this time of crisis
is highly needed to ensure that the peoples of
Mindanao would have their stake in the peace and
development process.
EsinIslam.Com
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