DAVAO CITY – The local government of Mamasapano town in Maguindanao del Sur province has urged the leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to resolve the infighting in the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
DISPLACED children attend psychosocial intervention activities in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. (MDRRMO Mamasapano)
In a statement released to the media, Rogelio Gornez, the executive assistant of Mamasapano Mayor Akmad Ampatuan Jr., urged the BARMM leadership to exert more efforts to resolve the conflict that has been ongoing for a month.
Gornez added that clashes have displaced at least 5,000 residents from several barangays in the municipality.
Fighting erupted in Barangays Pimbalkan and Tukanalipao and spilled over to nearby Barangays Daladap and Dastil.
Since most of the top leaders of the Bangsamoro government are also from the MILF, they should step in and assert their authority to resolve the infighting, Gornez said.
BARMM interim Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, popularly kown as Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim, is the chairman of the MILF. Many of the ministers of parliament in the Bangsamoro government were top MILF leaders.
"Ang panawagan ng LGU ay strong commitment at intervention ng BARMM leadership (The LGU appeals for strong commitment and intervention from the BARMM leadership)," Gornez said.
The conflict started following the ambush of a police personnel last April 2. The victim was a relative of the barangay chairman of Pimbalakan, who is said to be an MILF member.
The police officer survived the ambush but his relatives reportedly retaliated against the perpetrators who are said to be affiliated with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
The fighting escalated and dragged many armed followers affiliated with the BIAF and BIFF, resulting to a family feud or rido. The fighting escalated and resulted to infighting between BIAF members who had a long-standing feud due to land conflict.
Mamasapano police chief Police Lt. Christian Villones also appealed to the BARMM leadership to intervene for the sake of the displaced civilians. Villones bared they have filed criminal cases against the perpetrators of the ambush.
Mamasapano, a fifth-class town of about 28,000 people, is one of the known enclaves of BIFF and MILF fighters. For years, the marshy town has been a known battleground of government forces and Moro armed groups.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) reported that the local government has extended relief assistance to the displaced residents.
According to the MDRRMO, villagers would return to their homes whenever fighting stops. And some would seek refuge in evacuation centers when fighting erupts again.
The local government has conducted psychosocial interventions to affected women and children. Government forces are now deployed in the area to diffuse the tension.