Clashes among MILF factions rock Central Mindanao

COTABATO CITY --- Four were reported killed while seven others were injured in separate encounters the past four days between rival Moro forces in central Mindanao.Local officials have urged the ceasefire committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to pacify the leaders of the feuding factions, who all belong to the group.Dozens of Moro families were dislocated in Barangay Barurao in Sultan sa Barongis when two rival groups in the MILF’s 105thBase Command, one led by Jabick and the other by Mulato, thrice clashed since Friday.Four were reportedly killed in the spate of encounters between the two groups, precipitated by the squabbles of the two commanders for control of strategic patches of lands in Barangay Barurao and nearby areas.Barangay folks have confirmed that Jabick and Mulato loss two followers each in the ensuing skirmishes.The tension in Sultan sa Barongis in the second district of Maguindanao worsened on Sunday when heavily armed members of a local Moro clan attacked MILF rebels retreating from Barangay Barurao.Four were confirmed wounded in the firefight, which sent villagers running for their lives.Lt. Col. Markton Abo, spokesman of the Army’s 6thInfantry Division, on Monday said the commander of 6thID, Major Gen. Carlito Galvez, Jr., has urged local officials to settle the conflicts amicably and facilitate the immediate return of displaced villagers to Barangay Barurao.Abo said they have also asked the MILF’s ceasefire committee to help reconcile the feuding commanders in Sultan sa Barongis.The MILF’s ceasefire committee deals with a counterpart panel in the government, comprised of Army and police officers, and are helping each other maintain law and order in conflict flashpoint areas.Two factions in the MILF also clashed Monday morning in Barangay Balong in Northern Kabuntalan town in the first district of Maguindanao.Abo said they received reports purporting that the hostilities in Northern Kabuntalan erupted after a group of rebels harassed two days before the followers of Datu Puti, a barangay official in Lumupog in Midsayap town.Ramil Dilangalen, appointed deputy governor of Maguindanao, said the gunfight in Barangay Balong involved followers of the MILF’s Commander Codanding and a rival group.One of the two groups was to proceed to Barangay Lumupog in southwest of Midsayap when they were attacked, sparking a firefight.Three MILF guerillas were wounded in the encounter, which also caused the dislocation of hundreds of innocent villagers.Dilangalen said the local government unit of Kabuntalan has called on the MILF leadership to help disengage the two groups.