Thousands flee homes in Maguindanao
text HADER GLANG

More than 4,000 families had fled their homes since last week, when the fighting between government militiamen and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels broke out in the province of Maguindanao in Central Mindanao.

Reports from the military said three fighters from the MILF and seven pro-government militiamen have been killed since last week. But the MILF claimed killing dozens of militiamen and soldiers in the attacks on security posts manned by Army-trained paramilitary forces.

A report posted at the Luwaran.com, the MILF’s official website, said badly affected in the on going clashes are the far-flung barangays (villages) in the towns of Mamasapano, Shariff Aguak and Datu Unsay.

ARMM social welfare secretary Ruby Sahali expressed deep concern and pity for the plight of the displaced families who are mostly minors, children and aged.

Sahali said though that people have to master how to live by this situation until the conflict will soon be settled peacefully. “They are at risk. Our social workers can’t penetrate the area because fighting is still ongoing,” she said.

Thousands of people in the evacuation centers and makeshifts in the interior areas were not reached by the relief and humanitarian operations due to security reasons and a hundred houses were burned and looted by pro-government militiamen, according to Luwaran.com report.

The military has denied burning and looting civilian houses, and has said relief goods from various government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), International NGOs and humanitarian groups were being rushed to villages.

The Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) and the Muslim residents affected by the on going clashes in Maguindanao have all appealed a halt of the fighting immediately.

The fighting started when government forces assaulted two MILF commanders in the far-flung area in Shariff Aguak. Authorities tagged the two as behind the June 23 bomb attack near the town’s public market that killed 7 people and wounded several others. (ZS)