Cheyenne Suarez

Basilan clash 'wake-up call' to strengthen peace coordination: MILF-AHJAG chair

Article (news)

Lerio Bompat

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — There was no coordination with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) before soldiers entered Sumisip town in Basilan province on Wednesday to provide security for a livelihood mission there, an MILF - Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) official said Friday.The government and the MILF signed a final peace agreement in 2014 but decomissioning and normalization — a return to mainstream society — are ongoing. Among the protocols agreed on to avoid hostilities is coordination by the national government with the MILF on operations in its communities.&quot;As far as our office is concerned with the CCCH (Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities) and our commanders, we did not receive any coordination,&quot; MILF-AHJAG chairperson Anwar Alamada said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/1/23/4-killed-12-wounded-in-ambush-of-soldiers-securing-un-mission-in-basilan-1645">4 killed, 12 wounded in ambush of soldiers securing UN mission in Basilan</a></div>Four people, including two soldiers and two armed individuals, were killed in an ambush in Sumisip town on Wednesday. The clash left 12 other soldiers wounded.The clash between soldiers of the Army&#x27;s 32nd Infantry Battalion and gunmen backed by members of the MILF happened during a legitimate security operation in support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Barangay Lower Cabengbeng, authorities said.The UNDP representatives, who had been in the area since Tuesday, were conducting a validation mission and stakeholder coordination to engage local communities in the Project Modelling Livelihood Initiatives. The national government said the mission was coordinated through the Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC) under the Joint Normalization Committee (JNC), with the support of local leaders.The armed group also allegedly burned a military truck.Alamada called the encounter a &quot;tragedy&quot; and a &quot;wake-up call&quot; to strengthen peace coordination.&quot;This is a tragedy, hindi po kagustuhan ng lahat, hindi po ito kagustuhan ni MILF, hindi po kagustuhan ng gobyerno, hindi rin po kagustuhan ni BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao),&quot; he said.(This is a tragedy. Nobody wanted this. Not the MILF, not the BARMM)He said that the clash may have been &quot;accidental&quot;.&quot;Marami na rin kasi nangyari na miscoordination. Minsan hindi naman po umaabot ng mga ganyang barilan,&quot; the MILF official said.(There have been many cases of miscoordination but they don&#x27;t reach the level of shots being fired)He said the clash is also a wake-up call for other members of the MILF to further strengthen coordination while the normalization process continues.Lt. General Antonio Nafarrete, Western Mindanao Command chief, has said that the military will file a protest over the encounter.&quot;We will file a protest through the mechanism and let explain the MILF side and we will demand these persons involved be identified and we will file a case for a criminal case on this matter,&quot; Nafarrete said.Alamada welcomed the military&#x27;s filing of the protest, saying the MILF is bound by agreement to address it.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/1/23/afp-to-file-criminal-raps-vs-milf-members-tagged-in-basilan-attack-1755">AFP to file criminal raps vs MILF members tagged in Basilan attack</a></div><div>&#x27;UNACCEPTABLE&#x27;</div>Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it expects the leadership of the MILF to impose sanctions on its members who were involved in the deadly ambush.&quot;This is something na hindi katanggap-tanggap (This is unacceptable). We expect their side to act on it accordingly,&quot; AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday.&quot;We expect them to do their fair share and do their end of the bargain in the peace process,&quot; she added.She said that even if the MILF believes the clash is an isolated incident, it should still hold its members accountable.&quot;Sa side ng AFP, pag may nagkamali sa aming hanay, we give them sanctions accordingly. Yun din ang expectation namin from their end—to give the proper sanctions sa mga naligaw ang landas na miyembro nila.&quot;(On the side of the AFP, we impose sanctions on erring members of our ranks. That is what we expect from their end — to give the proper santions to members who strayed)<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDPFBZtj2k?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>Padilla said the AFP sends its condolences to the families of the soldiers who were killed and assured them of support and other benefits.She said that despite the incident, the peace process with the MILF has been working.“Normalization na nga tayo. We’re even opening up the region na for tourism. Tapos may ganitong nangyari at paparating pa ang election. Hindi natin gusto na magkaroon pa ng ganitong insidente uli,” Padilla said.(We are in the process of normalization. We&#x27;re even opening up the region to tourism. And then this happens as we prepare for elections. We don&#x27;t want more incidents like this)

There was no coordination with the MILF before soldiers entered Sumisip town in Basilan province on Wednesday to provide security for a livelihood mission there, an MILF - AHJAG official said Friday.

There was no coordination with the MILF before soldiers entered Sumisip town in Basilan province on Wednesday to provide security for a livelihood mission there, an MILF - AHJAG official said Friday.

'This is a tragedy': Basilan clash 'wake-up call' to strengthen peace coordination, says MILF-AHJAG chair

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'This is a tragedy': Basilan clash 'wake-up call' to strengthen peace coordination, says MILF-AHJAG chair

Lerio Bompat,

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 24, 2025 04:05 PM PHT

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