MILF-MNLF clash looms in Cotabato, villagers flee

From the Manila Standard Today (May 31): MILF-MNLF clash looms in Cotabato, villagers flee

About 600 villagers fled their homes in Tulunan, North Cotabato for fear of a possible clash between troops of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed Thursday morning that about 168 families, or 587 people, evacuated their homes after hundreds of MILF guerillas showed up in two villages of Tulunan town on May 25.

The NDRRMC reported no injuries in the harassment that allegedly occurred at 4 p.m. of May 25 in Sitio Silan, Sitio Malipayon and Purok 1 of Barangay Maybula and Sitio Tuburan of Barangay New Bunawan in Tulunan.

Maybula residents were brought to the Barangay Maybula multi-purpose building while those from New Bunawan were brought to the Sitio Tuburan Purok Center, the disaster agency said.

It was the second time Cotabato residents complained of armed intrusions by the MILF.

On May 16, fighting broke out in neighboring Matalam town, the provincial capital, after the MILF supposedly intruded into another MNLF-dominated area purportedly because they were conducting a “peace caravan.”

At least one man was killed in the Matalam incident while 200 families fled their homes for fear of an armed clash between the MILF and the MNLF. But community elders prevailed upon the two groups to prevent fighting.

Meanwhile, MNLF troops started to pour into strategic positions around Tulunan town on Thursday in case the MILF would try to force their way into what they described as “MNLF territory.”

The Tulunan Mayor Lani Candolada confirmed the presence of hundreds of armed MILF men who supposedly harassed her despite a ceasefire agreement with the government.

Candolada said she rounded up groups of military, police and militiamen to inspect the area after residents, mostly B’laan tribesmen and Christian settlers, reported sporadic explosions in the area on May 28.

The international team monitoring the cceasefire agreement admitted that the explosions and sporadic gunfire came from an MILF camp and the IMT held a dialogue with MILF Vice Chairman Ghazali Jaafar, town mayors of Sultan Kudarat and Datu Paglas to ease the tension which could lead to hostilities.

But minutes after the IMT left, the MILF positioned themselves in Sitio Barko-Barko and fired five rounds of mortar fire.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/05/31/milf-mnlf-clash-looms-in-cotabato-villagers-flee/