The historic firearms deal signed by the government and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Saturday, January 25, was the most
sensitive and emotional issue on the part of the former insurgents.
As MILF chief
negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said: "All the agreements are substantive and
important and very very hard, but the issue of normalization is the most
sensitive, emotional... As far as I know it entails a lot of sacrifices on the
part of the MILF because to build real peace in Mindanao ,
we have to decommission our forces."
But the landmark
deal does not entail a simple laying down of arms for the MILF.
As the peace
process in Mindanao moves away from the
negotiating table, how will the normalization process be implemented on the
ground?
No
surrender of arms, just putting them 'beyond use'
What will happen
to the MILF's firearms and weapons? How many arms and troops will be
decommissioned?
The normalization
annex does not provide immediate answers to this question. Instead, an
Independent Decommissioning Body will be tasked to recommend the most
appropriate manner of dealing with rebel firearms after conducting an inventory
and verifying the weapons and members of MILF's armed wing, the Bangsamoro
Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF).
The government
and the MILF have considered examples around the world, such as the Irish
Republican Army model, where firearms were stored in a warehouse. The MILF,
however, has ruled out the destruction of weapons.
One thing is for
sure – the decommissioning process will not happen in an instant but rather in
a "gradual and phased" manner, where the MILF will decommission a
specific number of arms and weapons in certain timeframes. This will also
coincide with parallel commitments from the government to redeploy armed and
police forces in Mindanao and lead the
disbandment of private armed groups.
From
camps to communities
To help former
rebels live a life beyond the armed struggle, customized socio-economic
programs will be made available depending on their needs. A trust fund to
accommodate multi-donor country support will be set up for this purpose.
As part of the
normalization process, the following rebel camps will be transformed into
"peaceful and productive" communities:
Camp Bilal in
Lanao Del Norte and Lanao del Sur
Both sides also
committed to provide special socio-economic programs for women.
Amnesty
The government
will grant amnesty and pardon to MILF troops charged with or convicted of
crimes and offenses connected to the armed conflict in Mindanao .
This is expected
to happen around February or March, government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer
said in a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
In an effort to
"heal the wounds of conflict," a separate committee will also be
created to recommend the most appropriate transitional justice mechanism for
the Bangsamoro that would address historical injustices.
Who will
oversee the process?
A number of
coordinating bodies – composed of members from both sides as well as
international players – will be created to facilitate the various aspects of
normalization. These include:
Joint
Normalization Committee
Main body that
will oversee the normalization process
Terms of
reference to be released within 2 months after the signing of the annex on
normalization
Joint
Peace and Security Committee
Composed of 3
representatives each from the government and the MILF- Tasked to coordinate
with the two parties' central command and develop guidelines for effective
partnership
Joint
Peace and Security Teams
To be composed of
Armed Forces of the Philippines ,
Philippine National Police and BIAF members that will be assigned in areas
across Mindanao
Transitional
Justice and Reconciliation Commission
Tasked to study
and recommend appropriate mechanisms for transitional justice and
reconciliation
To be headed by
an international expert
The terms of
existing bodies monitoring the ceasefire agreement such as the International Monitoring Team,
Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilites and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group or AHJAG were
also extended.
Earlier, the Independent Commission on Policing (ICP) – tasked to
recommend the most appropriate form of police force for the Bangsamoro – was
convened.
Police
force
The Bangsamoro
police force will be "professional and civilian in character,"
according to the annex. However, it does not identify the structure of the
future police force. This will be subject to recommendations from the ICP.
The interim
Bangsamoro Transition Authority shall have "substantial
participation" in choosing the head to be selected from a list of 3
eligible officers as recommended by the PNP.
Redployment
of AFP troops
As the situation
in Mindanao gets better, the government will
also redeploy AFP units and troops assigned in Bangsamoro areas.
Like the MILF,
AFP troops in Mindanao will also be subjected
to a joint security assessment and inventory so that only a number
"necessary for national defense and security" will be retained.
Timeline
When will all
these parallel processes happen?
The timetable
will be released upon the signing of the comprehensive agreement on the
Bangamoro, according to the annex.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/special-coverage/peacetalks/48947-normalization-decommissioning-amnesties-rebel-camps
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