September 23, 2017•Update: September 25, 2017
By Roy Ramos
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
The Philippines’ largest Moro rebel group said Friday that it has started convincing other armed rebel groups in Southern Philippines to lay down their arms and unite in support for the creation of a Bangsamoro region in the country.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Vice Chair Ghazali Jaafar said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s certification of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as urgent early this week will persuade other rebels to disarm and participate, as after all, “they are fighting now in order to have a government for the Moro people.”
"This will convince the Maute, this will convince the BIFF [Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters], this will convince Abu Sayyaf, this will convince the other groups," Jaafar said referring to three of the rebel groups which allegedly pledged allegiance to Daesh, as quoted by ABS-CBN News.
The proposed BBL law presented to Duterte in July was transmitted to the Senate and Congress last Month. It was part of a 2014 peace agreement between the government and the MILF proposing an autonomous Bangsamoro region, replacing the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Jaafar expressed confidence that enactment of the BBL is the only solution to end the prolonged conflict in Philippines' south, as it will end the reason for the fighting.
"This is the only solution... If the problem is solved, there is no reason for anybody to fight anymore... They are also fighting because they want to have a government," he said.
Jaafar added that although the MILF disagrees with the criminal activities of the other rebel groups, it has initiated talks to stop the fighting -- efforts which have yet to be communicated to Duterte.
"Our objective is to convince them to return to the fold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and it is an obligation, duty to talk to our brothers as Muslims in order to avoid fighting against any of them. Fighting against any of them is the most hated situation," he said.
Daesh retrenching
The initiative of the MILF comes in the wake of the battle between government troops and the combined forces of the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups, who staged an attack in Marawi city on May 23 in a bid to establish an Islamic caliphate in the region.
Jaafar confirmed that the local rebel groups have allied with Daesh to solve their logistical problems. Daesh, meanwhile, has been expanding in other regions as it suffers setbacks in Syria and Iraq.
"They may be allied there, for what purpose? For logistics purposes, and so they can go on with what they are doing now," he said.
The siege in Marawi, which prompted Duterte to impose martial law in all of the Mindanao islands until year’s-end, has caused a humanitarian crisis, displacing over 300,000 residents, and killed at least 887, mostly militants.
