Increasing IDPs in Maguindanao worries ICRC

COTABATO CITY -- THE International Committee on the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concern over displacement of civilians in renewed hostilities in Central Mindanao.The ICRC noted that clashes between government security forces and armed groups in the Maguindanao province of Mindanao have continued into (the) fourth week, causing displacement and casualties.” We are worried about the fate of civilians caught in the fighting. We call on all parties to the conflict to strictly abide by international humanitarian law (IHL), said Dominic Earnshaw, head of the ICRC office in Cotabato.The ICRC issued a statement of concern amid armed conflict resurging in a number of villages in Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Salibo, Sharif Sayduna Mustapa, Shariff, Aguak and Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Thousands of residents have also fled Butig to nearby towns of Lanao Sur, site of fierce clashes, and intense artillery shelling in follow-up military operations against the Maute extremist group.The international humanitarian organization said it was also closely following the situation in Butig, Lanao Sur, including the humanitarian consequences of these incidents.On Wednesday, outgoing Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. convened the Provincial Disaster Risk-Reduction Management Committee (PDRRMC) into a Provincial Crisis Management Committee (PCMC), purportedly to ensure safety of civilians fleeing sites of firefight, and that relief assistance were promptly provided evacuees.The Mindanao Tulong Bakwit (MTB), a local humanitarian organization, said it has hardly moved since last month when a fragmentation grenade was lobbed on its Cotabato City office by unidentified men. Authorities have yet to establish possible motives behind the bomb attack, as they see MTB not as potential target of violence. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Butig town has 7,800, said Jennie Tamano, provincial information officer, quoting the Butig Municipal DRRMC on Wednesday. In particular, we remind them that they should take all measures to avoid indiscriminate attacks that may harm civilians. We are deeply alarmed by incidents involving roadside explosive devices that have resulted in injuries and deaths. To help treat all weapon-wounded – without any distinction – the ICRC donated emergency kits and medicines to health facilities in Maguindanao,Cotabato City and Sultan Kudarat.A field assessment conducted by an ICRC team on 24 February showed that the displaced population in Maguindanao and North Cotabato have already benefitted from initial assistance provided by the local authorities. The ICRC will continue to monitor the situation of the affected population in order to identify any gaps in humanitarian assistance, in coordination with the authorities and the Philippine Red Cross,” Earnshaw added.