Of course the biggest news this quarter, by far, is the revolt against the MILF Central Committee by Ustadz Ameril Ombra Kato, much better known as the infamous "Kumander Kato." Kato, the Commanding Officer of the MILF's largest and most powerful Base Command, the 105th, has formally seperated from the MILF in a move I predicted in my last MILF entries for 2010. His new organisation, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, or "BIFF" is a force tp reckon with. BIFF is also central to the second leading topic related to the MILF, the GRP-MILF Peace Process. Both those very important issues fully deserve their own entries and so I will relegate this entry to discussion of MILF Contacts. For those unaware, a "Contact" is any armed confrontation between a targeted entity, in this cade the MILF, and any oppositional force.
On January 09,2011 in the municipality of Kabacan in North Cotabato Province, the MILF's Datu Kineg Imalang, much better know as "Kumander Kinang" ruined the lives of almost eight thousand people, par for the course when it comes to the MILF. Kumander Kinang is not formally a member of the BIAF, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces. The BIAF is the armed wing of the MILF. Most people are unaware that the BIAF even exists because when politicians and the media discuss the BIAF they refer to it as the MILF which is the name of the parent organisation, the political wing of the movement. Kinang is a member of the MILF, the MILF Governor for that part of North Cotabato Province since the MILF runs a well entrenched parallel government within most of its AOR (Area of Responsibility, synonymous with Area of Operations for all intencive purposes).
The MILF "Province" in question is named "Kapalawan," and Kinang is quite active in local affairs. His chief enforcer is his son,"Kumander Nano" of the BIAF. Unfortunately for the municipality of Kabacan it lies well within the Kapalawan AOR. In 2010 Kumamder Kineg set his sights on a very valuable tract of arable land spanning 2 of Kabacan's upcountry barangays, Nanga'an and Semone, and extending onto an adjacent mountain. Roughly 1,000 hectares, quite abit of money is at stake. Complicating Kineg's greedy plans however is the fact that a very strong MNLF-EC15 Kumander has a conflicting claim on the tract. The MNLF-EC15's Kumander Datu Dimalao"Aladin" Ambil has staked an earlier claim, though both say nothing about the local Lumad Tribe (Hill Tribe), the Semone Manobo who hold the tract under a CAD (Certificate of Ancestral Domain).
Though the fracas began in September, 2010 with the appearance of MILF Kumander Taya"Hanibbal"Abubakr on Bundok Marupayag, the issue first came to a head on October 06, 2010, on the afore mentioned mountain, Bundok Marupayag (Mt.Marupayag, or Mt.Eel, as in the fish). Actually beginning as a rido (Clan Feud) based conflict over an internal MILF issue. Kumander Kineg's father, Datu Amal Kugaw was shot to death by 3 MILF Kumanders, one of who is a member of the Pedtamanan Clan on April 05,1988. The actual shooter's son, Noel Pedtamanan is currently a low ranking BIAF guerilla. After the killing, almost 3 decades ago, the MILF Islamic Court (Shari'a Court) ruled that no Pedtamanan Clansman could enter the uplands of North Cotabato Province, i.e."Kapalawan." The rationale being that a separation of 2 large constituent clans in the MILF would stave off rido (Clan Feud) so that the MILF Islamic Court could adjudicate the case properly. The MILF of course is far from efficient and so the case has languished all these years. In the Court's defence, there have been 3 "wars" since the initial Ruling, "Estrada 2000," "Bunliok Complex 2003" and "MoA 2008-2009."
The 3 BIAF Kumanders charged with responsibility in the murder, the infamous "Jack" Abas (currently Kumander of the Mainlamd Mindanao Eastern Front of the BIAF), Taya"Hanibal"Abubakr (still an MILF Kumander but closely allied to MNLF-EC-15 Kumander Ambil) and...Sambuto Pendtamanan, father of the key actor in this case, Noel Pendtamanan. Ironically, it was Ambil who joined with Kineg in avenging Kineg's father's murder but who now is allied with 1 of the murderer's sons, Noel.
On the say in question, October 06, 2011,the afore mentioned BIAF guerilla Noel Pedtamanan crossed into "Kapalawan" AOR, atop Bundok Marupayag and linked up with BIAF sub-Kumander Matog Lumambas, aka "Kumander Cowboy." Lumambas was given the right to farm Semone Manobo Tribal lands atop the mountain by Manobo Datu Zamora Bandara in exchange for securing Manobo villages in that sector. On October 06 however MILF elements on the mountain began sniping at Manobo Tribesmen as they worked their abaca (hemp) plots, apparently for recreation. The sniping took place on and off until October 23 when Bagani Paramilitary (the word "Bagani" means "Warrior" and is used by NPA elements within the Southern Mindanao Regional Command, in the Davao Region,but this particular paramilitary is pro-Government, created by the Armed Forces of the Philippines under its Oplan Alsa Lumad, aka Operational Plan Hill Tribes Arise, the cornerstone of the Mindanowan COIN Programme) entered the sector and ensconced atop the mountain. A Bagani Blocking Force dug in at Sitios Demahuok and Malambeg in the neighbouring municipality of Matalam's Barangay Temped #2, also in North Cotabato Province and within the MILF's Kapalawan AOR.
Ironically Kineg had managed to establish a working relationship with the Bagani who are based over the border of Bukidnon Province, probably because the Bagani operated outside of any MILF-BIAF AOR. Kineg conferred with the Bagani Commanding Officer, Datu Ongelio "Bungalos" Mandatem and according to Bagani sources provided logistical support, aware that a Pedatamanan Clansman had contravened the agreed upon boundry issued by the MILF Islamic Court.
Between the end of October and New Year things were relatively calm although there were occaisonal trade offs of sniper fire on the mountain. In the interim additional Bagani Blocking Forces ensconced in the Barangays of Semone and Nanga'an in Kabacan, sometimes in conjunction with forces under BIAF sub-Kumander Nano, Kineg's son. Before daylight on January 09,2011 things got much worse. Kineg's son, BIAF sub-Kumander Nano directly joined the fray, linking with the Bagani still under Datu Bungalos. The joint force ascended the mountain on all sides and over ran Kumamder Cowboy's position, killing 2 of Cowboy's BIAF guerillas in the process. At 9AM that day the Bagani Blocking Force at a position situated directly on the border of Barangays Semone and Nanga'an was assaulted by an MILF element under Kumander Cowboy's Clansman, Salem Lumambas who approached through Barangay Semone. In Semone they linked up with a much larger force of MNLF under Kumander Datu Dimalao"Aladin" Ambil and surged forward. This full scale assault caused the terrified population of Barangay Semone to flee for their lives. All 673 families sought asylum in the municipality of Carmen, across the flooding Pulangi River (the Rio Grande de Cotabato headwaters). Setting up tarps in Carmen's upland barangays of Lanoon and Pebpuluan, they badly taxed the meagre resources of the already impovershed villagers living on that side of the Pulangi.
On January 27 fighting spread to Barangay Nanga'an when sub-Kumander Salem Lumambas' forces pushed through the Bagani/MILF lines. The result was that barangay's population of 600 families fled in batches until on January 28 only gunmen were left there, busy in house to house fighting. The IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons,aka "Refugees") from both barangays had by this time overwhelmed Carmen and were now encamped along National Hiway in Barangays Kayaga and Lumayong.
Later the next day, January 29, a high ranking delegation from the MNLF-EC15 was deployed to try and convince Datu Ambil to enter into a ceasefire. Trying to earn brownie points the MNLF-Misuari also deployed a small team to do the same later that night but to no avail. The MNLF-EC15, under delegation leader Romeo Sema, the brother of MNLF-EC15 Chairman Muslaman Sema (the Vice Moyor of Cotabato who is currently embroiled in a KFR Case which I will post about soon) was able to get Ambil to sign a letter to the MILF Central Committee in which Ambil stated his terms, which included that 1,000 hectare tract (he has already been soliciting "investors" for a palm oil plantation there). For its part, the MILF Central Committee delegation under Spokesman Eid Kabalu had begun parlezing with Kineg on January 12 but to no avail. The MNLF-EC15 and MILF, without talking to the combatants, decided amongst themselves to hold a joint meeting on February 06 to discuss the ceasefire and create a mechanism with which to jointly enforce it. Of course that is oh so typical of the MILF, waiting a week to talk peace as thousands of civilians suffer as refugees.
Ambil told Romeo Sema, and anyone who will listen that he wasn't trying to exert a claim on the tract for personal gain but rather because he intends to re-distribute the lands to "the people." Not saying word one about the Semone Manobo who have lived on the tract for hundreds of years until Muslims tried dispossesing them Ambil obviously uses "people" as a code word for "my family."
Although February 03 saw an unexpected flareup that killed a combined total of 13 guerillas. Not much took place at the February 06 meeting between the MILF Central Committee and the MNLF-EC15 but after the recent deaths both actors (Kineg and Ambil) expressed a willingness to ratchet down the conflict. However, the very next day, February 07 hostilities erupted again. While no guerillas were killed 6 non-combatants were, including a 4 year old child, Lala Dalamanan. All 6 were sleeping in their nipa (a bamboo framed palm thatched dwelling, 1 room, most common type of house on the island). Ironically the family had built it next to an IDP centre, thinking that to be the safest place. Fighting contimued in spurts until on February 26 the Mayor of Kabacan, George Tan managed to gain an agreement between Ambil and Kineg to stop the bloodshed. Though a significant number of guerillas and paramilitary soldiers were killed between February 07 and the 2fth I don't have exact figures yet so I will withold numbers until I'm sure. I haven't gotten information on further civilian casualties as well.
The fighting which included 60MM guns and 81MM and 60MM mortars destroyed much of those 2 barangays, What wasn't damaged was burned deliberately. Barangays Simbuhay also suffered significant destruction as well. The final IDP tally was 1,782 families though last week saw the last large group returning to rebuild. As if they didn't have a hard enough task as it was the town is the epicentre of a rodent population explosion with the rice crop now totally destroyed.
No comments:
Post a Comment