200 families flee as rival Moro rebels clash anew

COTABATO CITY—Fighting erupted anew between two Moro rebel factions in Aleosan town in North Cotabato on Sunday, forcing nearly 200 families to evacuate from three villages.

Col. Benjamin Hao, chief of the Army’s 7th Infantry Battalion, said followers of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) battled for two hours in mid-morning in Barangay Tunganon and later in the adjacent villages of Lawili and Lapu-Lapu in Carmen town.

The encounter was traced to a “rido” (family feud) over land claims.

The military had yet to determine reports of casualties yesterday. “But what is certain,” Hao said, “is that from 140 families, another 30 more were reported to have abandoned their houses.”

Sixteen houses were reportedly razed in Lawili, he said.

Early this month, some 500 people fled their homes when the two groups clashed over control of farmland in Aleosan.

“We managed to settle this down through the help of local government units, religious leaders and civilians,” said Col. Roy Galido, commander of the 40th Infantry Battalion.

Role of military

Galido and Hao said some MILF and MNLF field commanders were involved in the fighting because they were relatives of the land claimants.

The role of the military, according to them, is to ensure the safety of civilians and not get caught in the hostilities.

They also hoped that the renewed fighting would not affect the ongoing peace negotiations between the MILF and the government.