| EVENTS in the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines have worsened over the past week, as a combination of murders, bombings, fleeing refugees, guerrillas, and government-armed militias highlight a slow descent into virtual civil war (News, 22 August).
Fighting has also intensified between government forces and Muslim MILF insurgents across the mixed Muslim/Christian provinces of Maguindao, Sharriff Kabunsuan, and North Cotabato.
In the past seven days, three clashes have occurred when airforce bombers and ground troops attacked MILF insurgents, who were holding Christian villages. They left a total of 35 fatalities, including 17 guerrillas, four military personnel, and 14 civilians, including a pregnant mother.
As the Church Times went to press, the MILF guerrillas had been forced to retreat to the forested Muslim hinterlands of Lanao del Sur, Sulu Island, and Sharriff Kabunsuan. The search is continuing for their leaders, and there seems little prospect of resuming the aborted government/ MILF talks that envisaged an enlarged autonomous Muslim homeland in South West Mindanao (Comment, 15 August).
The number of refugees still rises. It had reached 200,000 last weekend — mainly Christians fleeing the fighting for the safety of towns such as Illigan, General Santos, Davao, and Zamboanga City. They are reluctant to return home out of fear of the roving MILF bands and Abu Sayyef guerrillas.
Peace initiatives are in progress. Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu, asked for peace prayers at all masses last weekend — a move also followed in other Churches.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Reformed Churches Council joined in a call on the government to reconvene the talks with the MILF. |
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