Mindanao: Philippine army advance on rebels , Bishops' appeal for negotiation
Manila ( AsiaNews) - The Filipino Catholic Church is launching fresh appeals "for negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the crisis" in Mindanao , where violent clashes between government troops and Muslim separatist rebels have been ongoing now for days. However, the "cry for peace" of the 18 bishops of the island - in the south of the country - seems to fall on deaf ears, as the violence continues . According to local sources, on the orders of President Aquino Benin the military is launching a general offensive to break the resistance of the guerrillas who, to protect themselves , are making use of civilians as human shields. An army spokesman adds that the advance is being "slowed down" in order to avoid casualties among the population, while activists of Human Rights Watch ( HRW) are already talking about "war operations" .
In recent days, all 18 of
Mindanao's bishops have turned to the government and the rebels of the Moro National Liberation Front ( MNLF )
, asking them to find a " negotiated solution " to the crisis that
hit the city of Zamboanga , the epicenter of the conflict. For
the Filipino clergy the peace negotiations between Manila and the MILF rebels,
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front ,
the rival MNLF movement, are behind the latest eruption of violence.
Since
the start of operations against the MNLF, on September 9, the area has
virtually been paralyzed and its people "are living in a state of fear. "To
date, the number of dead in Zamboanga has risen to 61 , while the injured over
70 , at least 70 thousand refugees are fleeing the war, of a total population
of about 800 thousand people. This
morning, dozens of people managed to flee from the scene of conflict to safer
areas. The
guerrillas seems to be losing ground in front of the advancing army, but the
military move with caution because there are still some civilians in the hands
of Islamist insurgents.
"We are deeply saddened and
worried by this tragedy which causes loss of life and destruction of property -
said the bishops. "We express our solidarity with all those affected by this
tragedy, whether Christian or Muslim." The
bishops in Mindanao also strongly condemn what they call "the inhuman act",
of using civilians as human shields.
Islamist
insurgents in the MNLF, an Islamic separatist group established in the late
1960s, call for independence from Manila and the creation of a Muslim country
in the southern island of Mindanao, which is rich in mineral resources. Despite
a peace treaty signed in 1996, hostilities between rebels and central
authorities still flare up from time to time in the south of the country, where
separatists have split up in various groups. One group, the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) recently signed a draft peace deal with the government
in Kuala Lumpur, but the truce has been met with scepticism by both parties , is likely to fade due to the opposition
of other rebel movements that continue to foment violence and
divisions in the region.
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