SULTAN KUDARAT, Southern Philippines: The leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has promised the rebel group will not return to violence in its struggle to win self-determination for the Bangsamoro people.
MILF chair Al-Hajj Ebrahim Murad told Arab News: “War is not an option. The real solution (to the problem in Mindanao) is political.”
In an interview to Arab News at the group’s camp in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Murad said MILF was “holding on” to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s pledges regarding the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), legislation that will establish the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region as a political entity.
Murad revealed details of a MILF meeting with Duterte on March 27.
“We briefed him about our observation on the status of the BBL in Congress ... that the BBL is facing challenges, particularly in the House of Representatives. So we sought his advice on how we could move forward and also asked him to intervene so that the law will be passed as soon as possible,” said Murad.
The president promised “that he will do his best in order to push forward the BBL,” Murad said.
The Bangsamoro Basic Law came out of a 2014 agreement between the government and the MILF that recognizes the “justness and legitimacy of the cause of the Bangsamoro people.”
For decades the group led an armed struggle to win self-determination for the Bangsamoro people, with the peace deal coming only after 17 years of negotiation.
The agreement was expected to pave the way for a Bangsamoro autonomous political entity. But it has been four years and the Philippines Congress has yet to pass the law to establish the region.
Despite the delay, the MILF leadership remains hopeful that the BBL will be passed by Congress in May or before Duterte’s next address to the nation in July.
In the Senate, Murad said the group had held discussions with Sen. Miguel Zubiri, who sponsored the bill in the upper chamber. “(Zubiri) was looking forward to finishing the process in the next session of Senate which is in May,” he said.
Murad said there were two versions of the bill in the lower house — one by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, which complies with the BBL crafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), and another sponsored by former president and now Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“I spoke to her (Arroyo) ... by phone and asked if it was possible to withdraw her bill and just support the Alvarez version. And over the phone, she told me, yes, she will withdraw,” said Murad. “She gave her commitment and I hope that she will make true with that commitment.”
Asked about the effects of the delay on the BBL, Murad said: “Of course, there is some negative impact. There is frustration among our people.
“But we are trying to contain the frustration of our people, and we are also trying our best to push the peace process forward,” he said, adding that “the chances of passing the BBL are still high.”
Murad also expressed concerns that “there is a possibility of watering (the law) down.”
“In the lower house, we found out there are about 341 provisions that were touched. There are some amendments, so we need to really engage them,” he said.
A number of congressmen also opposed the BBL. “They are few, but they are more aggressive. That is why there are some challenges.”
Should Congress fail to pass the BBL, Murad said he was concerned that this would add to the Bangsamoros’ frustration.
“They will feel that there is no more chance of passing the BBL. Because this president is the first who openly supports the BBL.
“He is the first president from Mindanao who really understands the problem of the Bangsamoro and has accepted the injustices against the Bangsamoro,” said Murad.
“So if (the law) cannot be passed within his administration then that will result in a strong sense of frustration among the people,” he said.
This sense of injustice could lead to more people joining radical groups. “That is what we are concerned (about),” he said.
Asked about the MILF’s options if the BBL is not passed, Murad said the group would not return to violence.
“War is not an option,” he said. “The real solution is political.”
Murad said the organization would continue its four-point program of strengthening, military build-up, self-reliance and Islamization.
“We will see what is the appropriate step. But we have already invested so much in the peace process. So whatever happens we will try to protect the gains of the peace process,” he said.
However, the MILF was also prepared to take a defensive stand, Murad said.
“Defense, it can be. We will continue our activities, but if government troops attack us, we have no option but to fight back. But we will continue our activities as an Islamic revolutionary organization,” he said.
“It’s not an option, but we are ready for it. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen that the BBL fails because that will really strengthen the campaign of the extremists.”
Murad said the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters group was formed after an agreement on ancestral domain failed in 2008.
“We were together. But after the non-signing, everybody was frustrated. And there was an outbreak of hostilities.”
Until there was a political solution, “fighting any group will not succeed,” he said.
‘War not an option’: MILF leader vows to pursue peaceful path to justice, autonomy
‘War not an option’: MILF leader vows to pursue peaceful path to justice, autonomy
- MILF chair Al-Hajj Ebrahim Murad told Arab News: “War is not an option. The real solution (to the problem in Mindanao) is political.”
- For decades MILF led an armed struggle to win self-determination for the Bangsamoro people, with the peace deal coming only after 17 years of negotiation.
Pickup truck driver killed by police after driving through Texas mall and injuring 5
- The truck crashed into the department store in Killeen, 109 kilometers north of the state capital Austin
- Emergency medical services transported four victims to area hospitals and another traveled to a hospital separately
The truck crashed into the department store in Killeen, about 68 miles (109 kilometers) north of the state capital Austin, around 5:30 p.m. Saturday and continued into the building, striking people as it went, Sgt. Bryan Washko of the Texas Department of Public Safety said in an evening news briefing.
Emergency medical services transported four victims from the mall to area hospitals and another traveled to a hospital separately. They ranged in age from 6 to 75 years old and their conditions were not immediately known, he said.
The chase began around 5 p.m. on Interstate 14 in Belton, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Killeen, after authorities received calls about an erratic driver in a black pickup, Ofelia Miramontez of the Killeen Police Department said.
The driver then pulled off the road and drove into the parking lot of the mall.
“The suspect drove through the doors and continued to drive through the JCPenney store, striking multiple people,” Washko said. “The trooper and the Killeen police officer continued on foot after this vehicle, which was driving through the store, actively running people over. He traveled several hundred yards.”
Officers from the state public safety department, Killeen and three other law enforcement agencies “engaged in gunfire to eliminate this threat,” Washko said.
One of the officers who traded gunfire with the suspect was working as a security guard at the mall and others were off duty, he said.
Washko did not have information about the suspect’s identity at the time of the briefing.
Witnesses interviewed by local news outlets outside the mall said they heard multiple gunshots and saw people fleeing through the mall.
India child marriage crackdown reaches nearly 5,000 arrests
- India is home to more than 220 million child brides, according to the United Nations
- The legal marriage age in India is 18 but millions of children are forced to tie the knot when they are younger
GUWAHATI, India: A crackdown on illegal child marriages in India’s northeast has resulted in nearly 5,000 arrests, after 416 people were detained in the latest police sweep, a minister said Sunday.
“We will continue to take bold steps to end this social evil,” Himanta Biswa Sarma, chief minister of Assam state, said in a statement.
“Assam continues its fight against child marriage,” he added, saying raids have been carried out overnight and that those arrested would be produced in court on Sunday.
India is home to more than 220 million child brides, according to the United Nations, but the number of child weddings has fallen dramatically this century.
Assam state had already arrested thousands in earlier abolition drives that began in February 2023, including parents of married couples and registrars who signed off on underage betrothals.
It takes the total now arrested to more than 4,800 people.
Sarma has campaigned on a platform of stamping out child marriages completely in his state by 2026.
The legal marriage age in India is 18 but millions of children are forced to tie the knot when they are younger, particularly in poorer rural areas.
Many parents marry off their children in the hope of improving their financial security.
The results can be devastating, with girls dropping out of school to cook and clean for their husbands, and suffering health problems from giving birth at a young age.
In a landmark 2017 judgment, India’s top court said that sex with an underage wife constituted rape, a ruling cheered by activists.
Russian defense ministry says it downed 42 Ukrainian drones overnight
- The heads of the Rostov and Bryansk regions said there were no casualties or damage after the latest drone attacks
MOSCOW: Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday its air defense systems destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones over five Russian regions during the night.
Twenty drones were shot down over the Oryol region, eight drones each were destroyed in the Rostov and Bryansk regions, five in the Kursk region and one over Krasnodar Krai, the ministry said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
One attack triggered a fire at a fuel infrastructure facility in the village of Stalnoi Kon, said Andrei Klychkov, the governor of Oryol.
“Fortunately, thanks to the quick response, the consequences of the attack were avoided — the fire was promptly localized and is now fully extinguished. There were no casualties or significant damage,” he said.
It was the second week in a row where fuel infrastructure facilities in Oryol have been attacked.
The heads of the Rostov and Bryansk regions said there were no casualties or damage after the latest drone attacks.
Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield accounts.
China says US is ‘playing with fire’ after latest military aid for Taiwan
- US President Joe Biden authorized Saturday the provision of up to $571 million for Taiwan
- Separately, the Defense Department said Friday that $295 million in military sales had been approved
BEIJING: The Chinese government protested Sunday the latest American announcements of military sales and assistance to Taiwan, warning the United States that it is “playing with fire.”
US President Joe Biden authorized Saturday the provision of up to $571 million in Defense Department material and services and in military education and training for Taiwan. Separately, the Defense Department said Friday that $295 million in military sales had been approved.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement urged the US to stop arming Taiwan and stop what it called “dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Taiwan is a democratic island of 23 million people that the Chinese government claims as its territory and says must come under its control. US military sales and assistance aim to help Taiwan defend itself and deter China from launching an attack.
The $571 million in military assistance comes on top of Biden’s authorization of $567 million for the same purposes in late September. The military sales include $265 million for about 300 tactical radio systems and $30 million for 16 gun mounts.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the approval of the two sales, saying in a social media post on X that it reaffirmed the US government’s “commitment to our defense.”
New hope for flight MH370 families as Malaysia agrees to resume search
- Plane carrying 239 people went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014
- Families say they hope new search operation will offer ‘long-awaited answers and closure’
KUALA LUMPUR: The families of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 passengers have welcomed with renewed hope the announcement of a new search for the aircraft, which disappeared more than 10 years ago in one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.
Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 with 239 people on board, went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014.
The search became the most expensive operation in aviation history but ended inconclusively in 2018, leaving the families of those on board still haunted by the tragedy.
On Friday, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that he hoped to “give closure to the families” as the government agreed to allow private contractor Ocean Infinity, which was the last to try to locate the plane, to resume search efforts.
He told reporters that the operation would focus on a new area spanning 15,000 sq. km in the southern Indian Ocean — a development raising hope among relatives of passengers and crew aboard flight MH370.
“The significance of this renewed search cannot be overstated. For the families of passengers, the scientific community and global civil aviation safety, it offers renewed hope for long-awaited answers and closure,” Voice 370, the association representing them, said in a statement.
“We, the next of kin, have endured over a decade of uncertainty, and we hope that the terms of the renewed search are finalized at the earliest and the decks are cleared for the search to begin.
“We continue to hope that our wait for answers is met.”
Ocean Infinity, the private underwater exploration firm that will undertake the $70 million search, was briefly involved in the 2018 efforts after a three-year operation covering 120,000 sq. km of the Indian Ocean failed to locate the aircraft and was suspended in 2017.
The new agreement was met on a no-find, no-fee basis, meaning that Ocean Infinity will be paid only when the wreckage is found.
“We are encouraged by Ocean Infinity’s readiness to deploy their advanced fleet, including sophisticated vessels, AUVs and cutting-edge imaging technologies,” Voice 370 said.
“We gather that the company has followed this up with thorough due diligence, analyzing all available data, and alternative scenarios proposed by independent researchers and recommendations on potential search areas.”
Flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur in the early hours of March 8, 2014 and lost communication with air traffic control less than an hour later. Military radar showed the aircraft had deviated from its planned path. It remains unclear why that happened.
Many conspiracy theories have emerged to explain the aircraft’s disappearance, ranging from suspicions of the captain’s suicide to concerns over the 221 kg of lithium-ion batteries in the plane’s cargo, as well as the involvement of passengers, two of whom were found traveling on stolen passports.
When the probe was suspended, Kok Soo Chon, head of the MH370 safety investigation team, told reporters in July 2018 that his team was “unable to determine the real cause for disappearance of MH370” and “the answer can only be conclusive if the wreckage is found.”
