Gov’t, MILF deploy peacekeepers to defuse BARMM tensions

COTABATO CITY — The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have deployed peacekeepers to defuse tensions in the Special Geographic Area of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (SGA-BARMM), the government Peace Implementing Panel (PIP) said Sunday.

The Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), supported by the Joint Peace and Security Teams (JPSTs), intervened and coordinated closely with local government units and concerned MILF commanders.

Some MILF commanders and their followers have been engaged in sporadic skirmishes due to a long-standing “rido” (family feud) over territorial control.

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The PIP has urged warring MILF members to de-escalate, restore calm, and halt fighting.

“Through these joint efforts, tensions in the affected communities have eased,” Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento said.

“I want to assure the public, and most especially our brothers and sisters in the SGA, that the joint ceasefire mechanisms between the government and the MILF remain firmly in place,” Sarmiento added.

Sarmiento said the joint peace mechanisms work tirelessly to ensure normalcy is restored.

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“This is precisely why these joint peace mechanisms exist. It is through dialogue and cooperation, not force, that we protect the peace we have worked so long and so hard to build,” the peace adviser said, calling on all parties on the ground “to exercise maximum restraint and to allow our peace mechanisms to do their work.”

The CCCH intervened following the Sept. 16 skirmishes in Barangays Olandang and Kadingilan in the municipality of Nabalawag, where a rido raised tensions among nearby communities.

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“The situation has since been brought under control, and peace mechanisms continue to monitor the area closely,” Sarmiento said.

He also clarified that the incident in Barangay Balong, Tugunan town, on Saturday, Sept. 19, is separate and distinct from the Nabalawag encounter.

Based on information from security authorities and validated through the AHJAG, the Tugunan incident stemmed from a coordinated law enforcement operation to serve a warrant of arrest against lawless elements. Six armed men were killed during the operation.

The government and the MILF’s coordination protocols prevented the operation from escalating into an unintended confrontation between government troops and the MILF.

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Sarmiento said members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces in Barangay Balong and nearby areas repositioned away from the area of operations to avoid accidental contact with government troops. “This demonstrates the value of prior coordination and mutual restraint,” Sarmiento said. /mcm