'PUT DOWN YOUR ARMS' | BIFF rebels invited to join peace process

From InterAksyon (Jan 30): 'PUT DOWN YOUR ARMS' | BIFF rebels invited to join peace process

The government peace panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is inviting members and leaders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), an MILF splinter group, to take part in the peace process even as the peace talks were concluded last Saturday.

In a statement, Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, head of the government peace panel, said: “We call on the members and the leaders of the BIFF to put down their arms and be part of the process. We ask them to listen to the plea of their own brothers and sisters to give peace a chance.”

Encounters between military and BIFF forces escalated as soon as news of the conclusion of the peace talks in Kuala Lumpur reached the Philippines. 

How could BIFF forces join in the peace process? “Local government officials are ready to receive those who would like to silence their guns and participate in the different programs we will be undertaking as part of the implementation of the peace agreements,” Ferrer said.

“We know that BIFF members can also contact supporters or local ground commanders of the MILF who could facilitate their return to normal lives. These and other avenues are open for those among the BIFF who are ready to join us in our peace efforts,” she said.

Ferrer explained that the ongoing military operations “are geared at degrading the BIFF’s capability to continue to cause harm to the government forces, civilians, and the peace process.”

In an interview with reporters Tuesday night, she said that the escalation of hostilities was expected.

“Prior to the conduct of the operations, the ceasefire mechanisms of the GPH and the MILF have ensured the safety of civilians in surrounding areas. Relief provisions have been on standby to meet the basic needs of those who have been temporarily displaced,” she said in the statement issued Thursday.

“Government and the MILF have taken the necessary steps to ensure that the operations will not spill over to involve MILF combatants or cause unnecessary or prolonged hardship to civilians,” she said.

Moreover, Ferrer said, “the MILF is assisting in the operations by helping the government contain the movements of the BIFF.”

The conclusion of the peace talks is hoped to bring peace in Mindanao, which has been the site of centuries’ old battles between Moros, who have been fighting for self-determination, and the Philippine government, which has sovereignty over the island.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/79790/put-down-your-arms--biff-rebels-invited-to-join-peace-process