Inquirer·Philippines·

Over 3,000 flee armed clashes in Maguindanao del Sur

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Edwin O. Fernandez

COTABATO CITY — Seven members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were wounded in clashes with an armed group in Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao del Sur, that forced more than 3,000 residents to flee their homes, police said Saturday.

Police Major Guiseppe Tamayo, spokesperson for the Maguindanao del Sur Police Provincial Office, said the wounded MILF fighters belonged to the groups led by Commanders JP Felmin and Mamo of the MILF’s 106th Base Command.

“Fighting has died down but the affected civilians are still in evacuation centers and others are staying with their relatives,” Tamayo told the Inquirer in a phone interview Saturday.

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The fighting erupted Thursday, Oct. 8, when members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the MILF’s armed wing, exchanged gunfire with an armed group accused of terrorizing communities in Barangay Kulambog.

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The BIAF is undergoing decommissioning under a peace agreement signed in 2014.

The daylong clashes forced residents to flee to safer areas, bringing their valuables and farm animals.

As of Saturday, 625 families, or 3,125 individuals, had been displaced. Evacuees were staying in evacuation centers in Barangay Kulambog Proper and Barangay Papakan, while others had sought shelter with relatives.

Members of Sultan sa Barongis MDRRMO and ACCESS Project, a multi-sectoral consortium of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), jointly conduct Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) and psychological intervention to families and children in Gadungan Elementary School, Barangay Gadungan, Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao del Sur on October 9, 2026. The civilians were displaced by on going skirmishes between MILF and armed group that started on Oct.1 due to livestock robberies. — Members of the Sultan sa Barongis MDRRMO and ACCESS Project conduct a rapid damage and needs assessment and provide psychological support to families and children at Gadungan Elementary School in Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao del Sur, on Oct. 9, 2026. (Photo from MDRRMO-Sultan sa Barongis)

Sultan sa Barongis Mayor Allandatu Angas said the armed group had claimed responsibility on social media for livestock theft and robbery incidents in the town.

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Army 6th Infantry Division spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Suscano said the stolen cattle and goats belonged to farmers who were MILF members.

“The robbery had been going on since last year, and the MILF-BIAF blamed an armed group operating in Sultan sa Barongis and nearby towns,” Suscano told the Inquirer.

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“The civilians are still reluctant to return home,” he said.

Suscano added that negotiations to end the hostilities between the MILF-BIAF and the armed group were underway through a local politician. /dm

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