Heavy fighting between the army and Muslim separatist rebels has spilled over to the islands of Basilan and Jolo, leading to fresh casualties and threatening to displace tens of thousands more, warned military and local government officials.
Fighting erupted on 7 December when troops launched an assault against strongholds of the Al Qaeda-linked group, the Abu Sayyaf, on the two islands, triggering intense gun battles that left five soldiers dead and at least 24 wounded, including a pilot whose bomber plane came under heavy fire while flying low over a jungle area in central Basilan, spokeswoman Lieutenant Steffani Cacho told IRIN.
Abu Sayyaf is a gang of self-styled Islamic militants founded in the 1990s. The group is on the US list of wanted foreign terrorist organisations and is responsible for the Philippines' worst attacks, including a bombing of a passenger ferry in Manila Bay that left more than 100 dead in 2004.
The military said members of the larger separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), had been providing sanctuary to the Abu Sayyaf in its camps on the two islands, and that both groups had joined forces against military targets.
"There is still sporadic fighting in Basilan," Cacho said. "We are operating against the Abu Sayyaf, but MILF forces are also attacking our soldiers."
She said the fighting was concentrated in Basilan's interior jungle and in Jolo's hinterland, although it could spill over to isolated villages and further compound a humanitarian crisis, which began in August when government suspended peace talks with the MILF.
Major General Ben Dolorfino said as many as 50 Abu Sayyaf and MILF guerrillas could have been killed during the fresh clashes. "This is a big military operation involving three battalions," he said.
Mounting toll
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said three MILF guerrillas have been killed so far, including Satar Alih, a senior member of the MILF team negotiating with the government.
"We blame the government for the breakdown in peace in Basilan and Jolo. Troops are attacking MILF positions in the guise of going after Abu Sayyaf," Kabalu said. "We are not coddling the Abu Sayyaf. The military operation appears to be intended against the MILF, and we will defend our positions."
Kabalu said the MILF was not keen on returning to the negotiating table with the government of President Gloria Arroyo under present circumstances.
"We don't think peace talks can resume in such a hostile environment," he said.
Arroyo suspended talks with the 12,000-strong MILF in August, shortly after two rebel commanders, Abdulrahman Macapaar and Ameril Umbrakato, led their forces in a rampage across several provinces and towns to protest a court order blocking a deal that would have given them control over a vast autonomous region. The Supreme Court has since ruled that the proposed deal was illegal and it was subsequently abandoned by government.
Emergency support
On 6 December, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported that the cost of emergency relief assistance had topped US$4 million, some of which was provided by UN agencies.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have been providing support to the area, distributing rice, drinking water containers, disinfectants and basic emergency health kits.
The NDCC said more than 58,000 people remained in IDP shelters in Mindanao, while another 250,000 were being served outside IDP camps.
The NDCC said 163 people had died since August while another 123 were injured. The army earlier said nearly 200 MILF rebels had died, although this could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Al-Rashid Sakalahul, the vice-governor of Basilan and head of the local crisis management task force, said local NGOs and provincial government workers were struggling to reach affected areas. More than 700 families, or about 35,000 people, could be displaced by the fighting, he said.
"This fresh fighting could spread to civilian areas. We wish the fighting would stop to allow people to return to their normal lives," Sakalahul told IRIN by telephone from Basilan. "We are trying to reach these affected areas so we can check on the total number of IDPs, although it's very difficult right now since fighting is continuing."
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Fighting erupted on 7 December when troops launched an assault against strongholds of the Al Qaeda-linked group, the Abu Sayyaf, on the two islands, triggering intense gun battles that left five soldiers dead and at least 24 wounded, including a pilot whose bomber plane came under heavy fire while flying low over a jungle area in central Basilan, spokeswoman Lieutenant Steffani Cacho told IRIN.
Abu Sayyaf is a gang of self-styled Islamic militants founded in the 1990s. The group is on the US list of wanted foreign terrorist organisations and is responsible for the Philippines' worst attacks, including a bombing of a passenger ferry in Manila Bay that left more than 100 dead in 2004.
The military said members of the larger separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), had been providing sanctuary to the Abu Sayyaf in its camps on the two islands, and that both groups had joined forces against military targets.
"There is still sporadic fighting in Basilan," Cacho said. "We are operating against the Abu Sayyaf, but MILF forces are also attacking our soldiers."
She said the fighting was concentrated in Basilan's interior jungle and in Jolo's hinterland, although it could spill over to isolated villages and further compound a humanitarian crisis, which began in August when government suspended peace talks with the MILF.
Major General Ben Dolorfino said as many as 50 Abu Sayyaf and MILF guerrillas could have been killed during the fresh clashes. "This is a big military operation involving three battalions," he said.
Mounting toll
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said three MILF guerrillas have been killed so far, including Satar Alih, a senior member of the MILF team negotiating with the government.
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Kabalu said the MILF was not keen on returning to the negotiating table with the government of President Gloria Arroyo under present circumstances.
"We don't think peace talks can resume in such a hostile environment," he said.
Arroyo suspended talks with the 12,000-strong MILF in August, shortly after two rebel commanders, Abdulrahman Macapaar and Ameril Umbrakato, led their forces in a rampage across several provinces and towns to protest a court order blocking a deal that would have given them control over a vast autonomous region. The Supreme Court has since ruled that the proposed deal was illegal and it was subsequently abandoned by government.
Emergency support
On 6 December, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported that the cost of emergency relief assistance had topped US$4 million, some of which was provided by UN agencies.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have been providing support to the area, distributing rice, drinking water containers, disinfectants and basic emergency health kits.
The NDCC said more than 58,000 people remained in IDP shelters in Mindanao, while another 250,000 were being served outside IDP camps.
The NDCC said 163 people had died since August while another 123 were injured. The army earlier said nearly 200 MILF rebels had died, although this could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Al-Rashid Sakalahul, the vice-governor of Basilan and head of the local crisis management task force, said local NGOs and provincial government workers were struggling to reach affected areas. More than 700 families, or about 35,000 people, could be displaced by the fighting, he said.
"This fresh fighting could spread to civilian areas. We wish the fighting would stop to allow people to return to their normal lives," Sakalahul told IRIN by telephone from Basilan. "We are trying to reach these affected areas so we can check on the total number of IDPs, although it's very difficult right now since fighting is continuing."
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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