COTABATO CITY --- Hundreds of poor Moro villagers were displaced by the encounters between two groups, one from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the other, a gang of heavily-armed Maguindanaon men, on Thursday, October 9, in Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao del Sur.
The heavily-armed lawless gang, reportedly comprised of remnants of the now both defunct Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Dawlah Islamiya, and its enemy MILF members are now locked in a standoff on Barangay Kulambog in Sultan sa Barongis, one of the 24 towns in Maguindanao del Sur.
Local executives, officials of the Maguindanao del Sur Provincial Police Office and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division separately told reporters on Saturday that a total of 367 Moro families were forced to abandon their homes right after the first encounter of the two groups, both armed with M16 and M14 assault rifles and 40 millimeter grenade launchers.
Brig. Gen. Ricky Bunayog, acting commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told reporters on Saturday that officials of their 34th Infantry Battalion, local executives led by Sultan sa Barongis Mayor Allandatu Angas Sr. and his constituent Moro community leaders and municipal police personnel are cooperating in addressing the security problem besetting Barangay Kulambog.
The hostilities in the area reportedly erupted when the group tagged in a number of cattle theft cases and forcibly collecting money and food from villagers, opened fire at the MILF members approaching their location to drive them away.
The firefights in Barangay Kulambog was preceded, two weeks before, by skirmishes, between two MILF groups from the front's self-styled 105th and 118th Base Commands, in the adjoining Barangays Lapok, Bialong and Malingao in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur.
An 11-year-old boy was killed and a 23-year-old Moro farmer was wounded as the two feudal MILF groups traded shots in isolated areas in the three barangays, sending more than a thousand innocent villagers running for their lives.
Shariff Aguak Mayor Akmad Ampatuan, Sr., Vice Mayor Oping Ampatuan and members of their municipal council reconciled on Wednesday the leaders of the two groups, who all pledged to thrive in peace again and cooperate in maintaining law and order in Barangays Lapok, Bialong and Malingao.
Local executives said officials of the Army’s 34th IB, the 6th ID, the Shariff Aguak Municipal Police Station and the provincial police command were also instrumental in convincing the two MILF groups to put a closure to their deadly disputes amicably.