Furigay, peace groups help end the feud among MILF, MNLF members in Basilan

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COTABATO CITY – Two rival groups in Lamitan City forged a truce on Friday, January 27, ending years of a feud that exacted casualties on both sides.

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Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay along with some peace advocacy groups were instrumental when the leaders of the two groups, Rajan Abdulrahman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and Mohammad Muddalan, a senior member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Brig. John Guyguyon, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), told reporters on Saturday, January 28, he is thankful to Furigay, the Lamitan City Police Station, and the Basilan Provincial Police Office for cooperating in putting an end to the clan war.

“This is a good development. We ought to help sustain the enforcement of the peace accord reached by both sides to keep the peace in the areas where they had encountered in the past,” Guyguyon said.

The groups of Abdulrahman and Muddallan, who is chairman of Barangay Parangbasak in Lamitan City, figured in deadly clashes for years causing the displacement of hundreds of innocent villagers from their homes.

Reports reaching the Bangsamoro regional government center said the bloody feud between the two groups was sparked by deep-seated political differences and territorial disputes.

Furigay also cited the Bangsamoro Ministry of Public Order and Safety, the top leaders of the MILF and the MNLF in Basilan, the Nonviolent Peaceforce, the Army’s 18^th Infantry Battalion and 101st Infantry Brigade, and the Western Mindanao Command.

Bangsamoro Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo, the regional spokesperson, said the chief minister, Ahod Ebrahim, is thankful to the parties that helped reconcile the groups of Abdulrahman and Muddalan. (JOHN UNSON)