MINDANAO: The Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) here is certain that nothing can derail the two-decade-long struggle for peace in the volatile region.
In Iligan City, where IMT (team site 2) is based, Captain Mohd Kindil Md Akim and his men have been on the lookout for spoiler elements, including those who could emerge from ground zero of the Marawi siege.
Kindil told the New Straits Times during a sit-down at the IMT camp here recently, that the multinational set-up was very much focused on the security of the region, as well as the peace agreement between the Philippine Government (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The Mindanao IMT was established in 2004 to ensure that the ongoing peace process was seen through.
Kindil said players in the peace process shared the worry that the growing threat posed by extremists in the region could throw a spanner in the works and torpedo the exhaustive process.
Captain Mohd Kindil Md Akim speaking to citizens displaced by the Marawi siege in Iligan City, the Philippines, recently.
The Marawi siege, he pointed out, was not the first to draw attention away from the peace process.
“The Marawi siege was the first time we saw a terror threat in the region growing at that rate. And it followed incursions in Butig and Piagapo in the preceding months... Nobody expected a threat at that scale.”
Ground intelligence, Kindil said, suggested that there could be no fewer than 20 emerging pro-Islamic State groups in the country.
The IMT, he said, could attest to the commitment of the GPH and MILF to see the peace arrangement move into the implementation phase. Both sides agreed that a political solution in the form of a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), was the best remedy to rein in elements that had contributed to the prolonged upheaval here.
“As long as the agreement is not achieved, splinter groups will emerge among those disenfranchised and frustrated that their rights had been denied.
“If there is feeling that the hope for peace is not going to hold out, the fear is not only that supporters of the peace process would pull away their support, but also that some will gravitate towards those they believe, erroneously, will fight for them.
“Although the delay all these years has not had a significant impact on radicalism... it is happening. So, further delays will allow those behind extremism to recruit more support,” he said.
The IMT pointed out that as the younger generation of Mindanao were highly educated, the backdrop against which these struggles are set, differ greatly from that of the 1970s and 1980s.
“Now, everyone is connected... If the (peace) process takes longer, there will be groups interfering from outside... including the IS.”
The IMT, Kindil said, believed that the peace process was stronger than the elements rallied against it.
The tens of thousands of Bangsamoro who want peace to prevail, and the MILF, which is scheduled to govern the region, would be able to rein in and deal with radical groups, he said.
The IMT, in its report, noted that many of the younger generation of Bangsamoro had not experienced the sufferings of their forefathers but rather, enjoyed, to an extent, good education and job opportunities.
Kindil leads the IMT (team site 2) in Iligan City.
They, he said, would want the generation after theirs to have it better, and that lasting peace in the area was the only way to go for the region.
Having been in direct communication with, and engaged the GPH and MILF, even away from formal sessions between the two parties, the IMT said it could vouch for MILF’s commitment in making the peace ambition a reality.
“We know this because we engage with the brigades, battalion commanders and the MILF closely.
“We observed their behaviour and made assessments. Based on our monitoring, the MILF is committed to the peace process.
“The MILF influence here is huge. Its chairman openly said MILF had been supplying intelligence to the government to cripple lawless elements,” said Kindil.
It is part of the IMT’s list of responsibilities to carry out field verification of reported violations of any of the terms in the Cessation of Hostilities agreement, signed between the two parties.
The New Straits Times shadowed the IMT team for several days as it went about carrying out its responsibilities.
Kindil and his charges have been kept busy, making sure life is made more manageable for those displaced because of the Marawi siege.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/12/319723/nothing-can-derail-peace-process
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