President Rodrigo Roa Duterte chats with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim on the sidelines of the signing ceremony for the Executive Order reconstituting the Bangsamoro Transition Commission in Malacañan on November 7. (King Rodriguez/Presidential Photo)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front and its top leaders said they are not in the position to question the factual basis of the declaration of Martial Law to contain the incident in Marawi City and prevent its escalation to other parts of Mindanao.
In a statement, MILF chair Al Haj Murad called on the government to “ensure that the ceasefire mechanisms continue to work on the ground and that any military operations against the group that perpetrated the violence in Marawi will not spark more fighting in other areas.”
He said that mobilizing the military in Mindanao should still respect the mechanisms that have proven to be effective in scaling down armed encounters between government forces and the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF).
“Conversely, recent events have shown that disregard of these mechanisms has been disastrous to our communities and to the effort to bring to fruition the end of the decades-long conflict in our homeland,” Murad added.
The group also emphasized that settlement of the legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people through the negotiated process is now contained in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
Various mechanisms of the peace process, the MILF said, are still engaged with their counterparts in government and “are working towards finding ways on how best to address the challenge posed by the violence being committed in Marawi by groups who have chosen to take violence without regard to the best interest of the people.”
“Now more than ever, the MILF and the government must work closely to ensure the protection of the gains of the peace process and to even forge with greater resolve to immediately implement the peace agreement so that no other groups may use its non-implementation to justify their continued pursuit of violence for violence’s sake,” the group added.
Murad also condemned the violence in Marawi which he said is perpetrated by a group whose only aim is to sow terror.
“There is no justification for launching an offensive against civilian populace and to destroy infrastructures and institutions serving the public” he pointed out.
The group also expressed solidarity with the people of Marawi and in Lanao del Sur and called on its forces, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, to extend all necessary assistance to the people of Marawi, ensure their safety, and frustrate the aim of any group or groups to sow divide in communities. (davaotoday.com)
