Humanitarian crisis in Zamboanga
Aid workers raise alarm as more than 109,000 are displaced in conflict
MANILA: Aid workers have warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in a major Philippine city wracked by more than two weeks of deadly street battles betweenMuslim rebels and soldiers.
The overnight deaths of three troops brought the official death toll from the conflict in Zamboanga to 173 yesterday, as the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) guerillas remained defiant despite being heavily outnumbered.
“We are increasingly alarmed by the situation and the growing needs of people caught up with violence,” the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines, Luiza Carvalho, said in a statement.
“We are particularly concerned for the most vulnerable, especially the well-being of women and children.”
The military said hundreds of MNLF rebels entered Zamboanga on Sept 9, taking over several coastal villages, burning thousands ofhomes and taking dozens of civilians hostage, in a bid to derail peace talks.
More than 109,000 people have since been displaced in Zamboanga, according to the UN, or about 10% of the population of the coastal city, which is one of the major trading hubs for the strife-torn southern Philippines.
“The situation in Zamboanga City... is now a humanitarian crisis,” the UN statement said.
The UN highlighted particular concerns for 70,000 people sheltering in the city’s main sports complex, warning there was a serious risk of disease outbreaks and a dire need for food, drinking water and tents.
Red Cross volunteer Roseller Roxas, who has been helping at the sports stadium, said hygiene was becoming a major problem with aid workers unable to cope with the huge crowd.
“We really need more portalets (portable toilets.) It is very unsanitary. Hygiene is really the big problem here,” he said.
“There are kids who don’t want to line up for the toilets so they just defecate in the open.”
There have already been outbreaks of measles, diarrhoea and conjunctivitis in some evacuation centres, said the spokesman for the city’s CrisisManagementCommittee, Sheila Covarrubias.
“We need more medicine. There are calls for donations, not only food but also for medicine,” she said.
Meanwhile, the military pressed on with efforts to end the standoff against the remnants of the MNLF force who are hiding out in homes of devastated neighbourhoods.
“The terrain is urban, there is a lot of rubble, a lot of houses to hide in,” said military spokesman Lt-Col Ramon Zagala.
“It’s very difficult for troops to operate in. The enemy can hide in areas where they can shoot from a high position.”
Twenty-three security forces and 12 civilians have died in the conflict, according to Lt-Col Zagala.
He said 138 MNLF rebels had also been killed, while another 218 had been captured or surrendered.
After giving a daily commentary on how many MNLF rebels were still hiding out – figures that have since appeared to be underestimates – Zagala declined yesterday to say how many the military were still pursuing.
Last week Lt-Col Zagala said thousands of soldiers were battling about 30 to 40 remaining guerillas. — AFP