Despite having a ceasefire with communist rebels for the holidays, government troops in
A spokesperson for the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters told a Davao news site Wednesday that a ceasefire is not part of the group's vocabulary.
"It’s not in our vocabulary to declare a ceasefire. Though we want peace, we won’t let our guards down because we are the victims of war. The government itself don’t want to have peace," BIFF spokesman Abu Misry Mama told Davao Today.
“Our offensive operations will remain active against the government troops as what we had done in the past yuletide holidays,” he added.
The BIFF has been linked to attacks in Maguindanao since 2008. The first attacks came shortly after the Supreme Court thumbed down a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain between the government and MILF.
On the other hand, the MILF continues to work with the government on a peace agreement.
Earlier this month, President Benigno Aquino III approved a holiday ceasefire with the NPA, suspending offensive military and police operations (SOPO) from Dec. 18 to Jan. 19.
- 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 24 to 11:59 p.m. of Dec. 26, 2014
- 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 31 to 11:59 p.m. of Jan. 1, 2015
- 12:01 a.m. of Jan. 15 to 11:59 p.m. of Jan. 19
The Davao Today report said the military and police had said operations will continue against the BIFF and other groups such as the Abu Sayyaf.
Duterte invitation
Meanwhile, Mama welcomed a reported invitation by Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to a dialogue to discuss issues related to security, peace and order in Mindanao.
He said Duterte's intentions are good and the BIFF welcomes his call for a dialogue.
"(B)ut if he will negotiate that we will declare a ceasefire, it will never happen,” he said.
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