Philippine gov’t, MILF condemn terror attacks worldwide
Peace panels of gov’t, one-time rebel group slam ‘cowardly attacks… designed to sow fear and discord among nations and peoples’
By Roy Ramos
ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines
Peace negotiators from the Philippines’ government and its one-time largest Moro rebel group condemned Tuesday recent terror attacks that have shaken different parts of the world and left dozens of civilians dead.
"The separate massacres that happened across the globe during the Lenten season are cowardly attacks that were designed to sow fear and discord among nations and peoples,” the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels said in a joint statement.
“Let us not allow ourselves to fall into this trap," they added, underlining that "these incriminate acts of violence do not represent true Islam" but are violations of the religious teachings on peace, tolerance and understanding.
The panels -- which had drafted a peace agreement signed by the sides in March 2014 aimed at ending a decades-old conflict in the Muslim south -- expressed their deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of victims of these "senseless acts of violence".
Over the last few months, extremist groups have claimed responsibility for a number of attacks across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
At least 31 people have been killed and 260 injured in multiple Daesh-claimed explosions in Brussels, while over the weekend, a suicide bombing struck a crowded park in Pakistan’s capital, killing at least 70 people and wounding more than 300.
A breakaway faction of the Taliban militant group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which once declared allegiance to Daesh, claimed responsibility for the Lahore attack.
"Let us remain vigilant yet calm and sober during these trying times as we continue with our efforts to end armed conflict and build a just peace in our communities," the panels of the Philippine government and MILF said Tuesday.
In the archipelago’s south, the province of Maguindanao has been rocked in past months by a series of bomb attacks blamed on a group that broke away from the MILF, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF).
The fighting between the military and the BIFF has been taking place during a stall in the Philippines peace process, leading many to question if a law aimed at sealing the 2014 peace deal will ever be signed.
Both the government and the MILF have warned that while the agreement is shelved during the duration of the country's presidential elections, "terrorist" groups may try and take advantage of local frustrations to move into the territory.
