60 Muslim families displaced by MILF, MNLF skirmishes in North Cotabato

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 22): 60 Muslim families displaced by MILF, MNLF skirmishes in North Cotabato

About 60 Moro families have been displaced by the armed conflict between Moro rival groups in remote villages here.

Senior Inspector Elias Dandan, Matalam police chief, said the displaced families are now temporarily housed at nearby Amas Elementary School in Barangay Amas, Kidapawan City.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) guerillas clashed anew Sunday, beginning at 5 a.m. and followed by another skirmishes at about 4 p.m.

“Land dispute triggered the conflict,” Army Capt. Anthony Bulao, speaking for the 602nd Infantry Brigade said Monday.

He said the armed conflict Sunday, which was part of the conflict involving the same groups in May in nearby Barangay Marbel, Matalam, was initiated by the MILF when they attack MNLF communities in Barangay West Patadon as the latter were to harvest corn and other crops.

“We voluntarily left our homes when we saw both sides started firing at each other,” Sammy Sultan, a farmer, said.

“Our worries are our properties and farm products that we should left behind for fear we might hit by stray bullets,”

Sultan said that it was the third time since May that they evacuated “because of the same conflict.”

Bulao said about 100 MILF forces attacked the position of MNLF in Barangay West Patadon, Kidapawan City at 5 a.m. Sunday.

No casualty was reported and the MILF guerillas pulled back after local officials appealed for peaceful settlement of the conflict.

But at 4 p.m. on the same day, the MILF returned and attacked MNLF forces anew, this time in adjacent Barangay Manubuan in Matalam, North Cotabato.

The conflict left MNLF member Mohammad Bayang wounded. The Army also shut down portions of the Davao-Cotabato highway as the fighting was so close to the national highway road.

Colonel Dickson Hermoso, speaking for the 6th Infantry Division, said the highway was closed for abut 45 minutes to avoid commuters getting caught in the crossfire.

“Fighting has died down, the national highway is safe for commuters,” Capt. Bulao said Monday morning.

However, the displaced families refused to return home until normalcy is fully restored in their communities.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=546504