NEARLY 10,000 DISPLACED IN SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES


Nearly 10,000 residents of a town in Maguindanao had been displaced by the fighting between two warring groups of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the government reported Sunday.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council in an update, said about 9,388 residents of Sultan sa Barongis, a town in Maguindanao, southern Philippines, had been displaced by the fighting between the MILF’s 105th and 106th Base Commands.

• The 2,344 families came from six villages in Sultan sa Barongis and the cause of the fighting was “rido” or clan war, according to the NDRRMC.
• It remains unknown if there were any fatalities but among the casualties, reported earlier was a 14-year-old girl.
• Those affected by the fighting were residents of the villages of Papakan, Gadungan, Kulambong, Tukanakuden, Bulod at Malusot.
• The government earlier aired concerns that the fighting between the two groups of the MILF could endanger the current peace negotiations.

Based on reports, fighting flared up Tuesday around 2pm between two separate MILF units based in Maguindanao, the MILF 105th Base Command and the MILF 106th Base Commands.
Fighting erupted between combined troops of Commanders Basco and Abdul Haq of the MILF’s 105th base command against the combined forces of Commanders Baksan and Jerry of the MILF’s 106th base command along the boundaries of Kulambog and Gadungan in Sultan Sa Barongis.

Source: Agency