From the Manila Standard Today (Oct 28):
MILF wracked by defections
Misuari claims to have won over 4 commanders to his side
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is being riddled with
defections and its leader Ebrahim Murad is purportedly offering to pay the
leaders of the defection P5 million each to stay with his group and stop
obstructing the Framework Agreement it forged with the government. Gapul
Hadjirul, political director of the Moro National Liberation Front central
committee, said at least four MILF commanders have defected to the MNLF because
they supposedly feel betrayed by Murad. “He betrayed his
supporters when he conspired with the Malaysians in entering into a Framework
Agreement that is a deception by the government and a conspiracy with the
Americans to attain their secret objective in Mindanao,”
Hadjirul told MST Sunday in a telephone interview. Hadjirul
identified the four commanders as Samer Samsudin Lungkatay, Samer Salamat,
Abdulwahid Jainalan and a certain Saidale. Samsudin is the former
chairman of the MILF Council of Ulamas while Salamat is the brother of deceased
MILF founder Hashim Salamat and allegedly commands some 8,000 MILF troops.
Jianalan, on the other hand, is supposedly Murad’s former security chief who
commands about 6,500 fighters. Saidale is allegedly a new commander who is the
leader of 1,500 armed men. “Murad is very upset at the defection of Samsudin,” Hadjirul
said, adding that Samsuddin had already met with MNLF leader Nur Misuari in Zamboanga City where they swore allegiance to the
MNLF. Hadjirul said Misuari appointed chairman of the MNLF Council
of Ulamas and member of the MNLF central committee. Murad was so upset with the
defection that he offered pay Samsudin P5 million so he would settle
differences with the MILF leadership. “Murad through an emissary asked Samsudin
and [renegade MILF commander Ameril Umbra] Kato to return to the MILF in
exchange for P10 million,” Hadjirul said, quoting a source from within Murad’s
inner circle. “The money that was to be used was the money given by Malaysian
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,” Hadjirul added, but “95 percent of
the MILF that defected to the MNLF rejected the offer outright....”
Misuari and the MNLF have been way over the top in their reactions to the GRP-MILF Framework Agreement. Statements from the MNLF concerning alleged mass defections from the MILF should be greeted with a healthy dose of sckepticism. Best to wait and see if MNLF assertions can be corroborated by other sources.
ReplyDelete