Child warriors among reformed Abu Sayyaf
DAVAO CITY — Children as young as 11 years old were among the former Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members who have undergone a reform program provided by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
According to the ARMM Bureau of Public Information, there was a total of 84 former Abu Sayyaf combatants from Isabela City in Basilan who went through psycho-social sessions and other training programs, such as one for farming.
Most of them were either in their teens or early twenties.
The youngest returnee was only 11 years old, who said he was recruited by the bandit group when he was just nine years. And like most of the other excombatants, he said he was just forced into joining the group.
ARMM initiated the reform program with the assistance of the 4th Special Forces Battalion (4SFB) and various LGUs in Basilan.
The six-day psychosocial sessions and farming course were held from July 19 to 24 at the headquarters of the 4SFB in Isabela City, Basilan.
ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said it was aimed at giving the returnees the appropriate psychosocial interventions and in helping them adjust to a new of life.
He said the program consisted of a series of interventions and other forms of assistance designed to usher the complete reformation of the former combatants into decent and productive members of society.
Aside from the six-day training and psychosocial intervention, some of the returnees will receive livelihood and housing assistance from the ARMM government after qualifying as beneficiaries of its Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development with Growth and Equity (BRIDGE) program.
Hataman said he hoped the reformation of the 84 returnees will encourage the other members of the ASG to lay down their arms and lead a lawful life.
He said it was also meant to dissuade adolescent boys from poor families in Basilan, who are the most susceptible group for recruitment, from joining local terror groups like the ASG.
One of the returnees, Ashraf, said the ARMM’s reformation program has restored his faith in the government and has given the chance to be with his family again and to lead a normal life.
He is from a remote farming village in the town of Sumisip which has no electricity and little access to education and health facilities. He is now 20 years and has been with the ASG since he was 15.
Ashraf, the second youngest child in a brood of 10, was forced to join the ASG after his father died. Their mother struggled to put food on the table for them.
He said the initial money and regular allowance enticed him to join the ASG.
Ashraf said he and his fellow returnees felt a sense of freedom after turning their backs on the group, and were thankful for being given a second chance in life.
The ARMM government will be working closely with the local officials including the barangay to monitor the reformation of the returnees and to provide them the assistance they need. (Yas D. Ocampo, Ali G. Macabalang, Nonoy E. Lacson)