One of the attackers of the Army soldiers in Sumisip, Basilan on Wednesday (22 January 2025) takes a video of an Army truck being set on fire. Screengrab from a video posted by Richard G. Falcatan / Basilan PIO
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 25 January) – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) launched Saturday, January 25, a high-level investigation into circumstances that led to the firefight between its fighters and an Army unit that was securing a United Nations mission in Sumisip, Basilan, which left two soldiers killed and 12 others wounded last Wednesday.
Bangsamoro Education Minister Mohagher, also chairperson of the MILF Peace Implementing Panel, said Friday the team led by Butch Malang, head of the MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, will leave for Basilan today to investigate the incident.
Iqbal said the Basilan clash should not be allowed to spoil the gains of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), which the government and the MILF signed on March 27, 2014 after 17 years of peace negotiations.
“The MILF and the government have conflicting versions to what happened in Sumisip town, Basilan. The most important thing is that this incident must not escalate and become a spoiler to the gains of the peace agreement,” he told Manila- and Luzon-based journalists who are here on a study tour involving the Bangsamoro region.
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier called on the MILF to conduct its own investigation and help bring the perpetrators to justice.
Ruayda Jingkatal, Sumisip municipal social welfare and development officer, said that at least 135 families sought refuge at the town hall since Wednesday for fear of escalation of hostilities between the Army troops and the MILF members.
Brigadier General Alvin Luzon, 101st Infantry Brigade commander, said the troops from the 32nd IB was securing a delegation from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Barangay Lower Cabengbeng in Sumisip town when attacked by the MILF and “armed civilians.”
Luzon said the mission to protect the UNDP team “was coordinated” with the Joint Peace and Security Committee under the Joint Normalization Committee, which is composed of six MILF and government officials.
He said the armed men also burned the KM450 military truck carrying the soldiers.
Hajj Hamad Atain, MILF-CCCH chief in Basilan, said the Army version of the incident “was not exactly true.”
Atain said the UNDP party was in Barangay Upper Benembengan, which is 12 kilometers away from Barangay Lower Cabengbeng where the clash happened.
He also said the regular security of the UNDP mission “is the Army Special Forces and not the 32nd IB, thus conflicting the coordination between the two.”
“We have been regularly complaining about the lack of coordination from Army units when they enter into our areas,” Atain said by phone.
Under the ceasefire mechanisms of the Bangsamoro peace process, the government and the MILF agree to coordinate their troops’ movements or operations either through the CCCH or the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) to prevent miscommunications and misencounter.
Atain said they did not receive any communication or text messages that the 32nd IB would enter Barangay Lower Cabengbeng last Wednesday.
He added the village was designated as an “area of temporary stay” as agreed upon with the Armed Forces of the Philippines where MILF members can seek refuge.
In a statement on Friday, Sammy Al Mansoor, chief of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the MILF’s armed wing, said they were saddened by the incident.
“(It undermined) the hard-earned peace and stability that we, alongside the Government of the Philippines (GPH), and other stakeholders, have tirelessly worked to build,” said Al Mansoor, the nom de guerre of Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Abdulraof Macacua.
At least one MILF member and two others were wounded in the clash, he said.
Al Mansoor called on the BIAF commanders and members to remain calm as he stressed that the encounter was “a result of miscommunication.”
“You are all directed to remain calm, exercise maximum restrain, and refrain from any actions that could jeopardize the long-earned gains of peace. Uphold discipline at all times and adhere strictly to the BIAF Code of Conduct and protocols enshrined in the peace process,” he said. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)