| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Southeast Asia | |
| MILF declare ceasefire | |
| 2009-07-26 | |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Muslim separatist rebels in the Philippines on Saturday declared a ceasefire against the military, and vowed that all civilians returning to their villages will not be harmed. The "suspension of military action" by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) came two days after President Gloria Arroyo ordered the army to cease all offensives against the rebels to pave the way for the resumption of peace talks.
Kabalu said all MILF ground commanders had been told not to carry out any attacks as tens of thousands of civilians displaced by the fighting are expected to stream back to their homes in conflict zones. He said however that rebels will remain on "defense mode" and will hit back if attacked or provoked. The MILF broke a five-year-old ceasefire in August last year and launched attacks across the southern island of Mindanao, where they have been waging a bloody rebellion since 1978. The attacks were carried out after Manila's Supreme Court outlawed a proposed deal with the government that would have given the MILF control over a large area of Mindanao, land it claims as an "ancestral domain." Heavy fighting that followed since has left over 300 civilians and combatants dead, while over 400,000 people remain displaced. It was not clear whether the ceasefire declaration would lead to a drop in hostilities. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 These guys have to get another acronym name. Its just cracks me up to imagine Stifler's Mom giving a news conference. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2009-07-26 17:21 |
| #1 It was not clear whether the ceasefire declaration would lead to a drop in hostilities. Hell the snark writes itself. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-07-26 12:36 |