As I have noted since the Third Quarter of 2010, MILF/BIAF Chairman al Haj Murad Ebrahim's health has been at the forefront of any serious discussion about the MILF/BIAF or its peace negotiations with the Philippine Government. In the Summer of 2010 Murad suffered a serious heart attack while visiting Malaysia's Sabah State on Borneo. Hospitalised in Kota Kinabalu his condition rapidly deteriorated after he suffered a stroke and for four months the MILF/BIAF burned the midnight oil trying to prepare for yet another shift in the organisation. In the end though Murad recovered and on April 16th, 2011 he appeared at MILF Headquarters, Camp Darapanan in the municipality of Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao Province (not to be confused with Sultan Kudarat Province).
The appearance took place at a conclave of MILF and BIAF Information Officers as the groups' spokesmen slash propagandists are officialy known. The three hour gathers was the "19th General Meeting of the MILF Committee on Information," a five day event that lasted from April 15th to April 19th. 200-plus men attended and enjoyed such thought provoking topics as, "Internationalisation of the Moro Question" and "Moro Governance."
On April 22th, 2011 the MILF Central Committee empaneled a three man team to act as the interface between the MILF and the European Union representatives on IMT-6. IMT, or International Monitoring Team (the "6" merely signifies that the current IMT is the entity's sixth deployment since its inception), is the Malaysian-led entity that acts as a buffer force to mitigate ension between the Government and the MILF/BIAF. Headquartered in Cotabato City (though planning to move to Zamboanga City) the IMT has five sattelite offices to cover the entire MILF/BIAF AOR, or Area of Responsibility (as in Area of Operation).:
On the European Union, or EU, it agreed to participate with the IMT via its "Humanitarian, Rehabilitation, and Development" facet. Britain and France sent one person each:
1) Cynthia Petrigh, Leader of the two person EU contingent as well as leader of the IMT's Humanitarian facet, spent her childhood in Lebanon before returning to France and getting a degree in International Law. Prior to her deployment Ms.Petrigh worked with the NGO "Conciliation Resources," an organisation primarily devoted towards sub-conflicts and those affected by sub-conflicts. Her official title within the IMT is "Humanitarian, Human Rights Law Specialist."
2) Susan Margaret Robertson, British, a Registered Nurse who has devoted herself towards working with NGOs geared towards Conflict Resolution. Her official title within the IMT is, "Humanitarian, Assistant Specialist.
The MILF's panel includes:
1) Nasrullah Mohammad, Chairman of the three man team
2) Abdullah B.Adam, an Islamic cleric
3) Zainal D.Kulidtod, a Lecturer ar Mindanao State University in Marawi City, in Lanao del Sur Province.
There are two other Europeans serving with IMT-6 but through a member state and not the EU itself. On Janurary 17th, 2011 the two man Norwegian contingent arrived and by the end of the month were acclimating themselves with IMT-5 whose deployment was extended at the request of the Philippine Government. The two men:
1) Oddvar Midtkandal
2) Tor Fredrik Moe
Both are senior officers in the Norwegian Military and have deployed with the Malaysian-led Cease Fire Security facet, usually referred to simply as "Security." Like their compatriots from the EU they will be attached to IMT Headquarters in Cotabato City.
Speaking of IMT-6...as if he doesn't already have enough on his mind the Commanding Officer of the IMT's Libyan contingent participated in a three day "Peace and Advocacy Consultation" with local Muslims in Munai, a municipality in Lanao del Norte Province. Colonel Giuma Ma'arash was feted for his country's dedication to the cause of Filipino Muslims and their struggle for self determination. After all, now deposed Libyan strongman, Moamar Khadaffi, is the man almost single handedly credited with bringing legitimacy to the MNLF, or Moro National Liberation Front, the organisation from which the MILF/BIAF developed.
Worth noting was that the forum, which took place on April 17th, 18th, and 19th took place in the BIAF 102 Base Command's main encampment. The 102 Base Command of course is under Kumander Abdulrahman Bravo Macapaar, one of three Base Command leaders who collectively took it to the mat after the failed signing of the GPH-MILF MoA-AD, or the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain. The result of course was the 2008 War and a schism within the BIAF, or Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the MILF's armed wing.
Indeed, just after that hoe down ended on April 19th Kumander Bravo deployed a four man team of his senior officers to try and cajole Kumander Ustadz Ameril Ombra Kato into mending his fences with the MILF Central Committee. Kato was another of those three aforementioned Base Command leaders in 2008. Unlike the other two Kato never willingly laid down his weapons in the Summer of 2009. Kato felt that he had been left out of the loop while the MILF Central Committee negotiated a Ceasefire and then, after it was implemented, felt that the Central Committee was cutting him out of the chain of command by transmitting orders directly to his subordinates. By the Spring of 2010 Kato had resigned from his position within the BIAF citing health concerns and his advanced age (he is 67) and was promptly replaced with a junior officer, sub-Kumander Zacarias Goma. The resignation had been a test of sorts with which Kato hoped to gauge the Central Committee's eagerness or reluctance to be rid of him. Obviously they were quite eager.
As the Central Committee assigned Kato as an Advisor in the MILF Shari'a Court (Islamic Court) Kato decided to go for broke and took nearly 300 of his most loyal guerillas and jumped into the unknown. Together they formed the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, or BIFF. Not wishing to completely burn his bridges, but much more astutely knowing that once he severed all connection to the MILF/BIAF, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, or AFP, would declare open season on him. The fact that he already carried a P10 Million ($220,000) bounty on his head and faced an astounding 86 criminal warrants only served to re-enforce his feelings of vulnerability.
So, Kato has been very careful to tightrope the razor's edge. Because Kumander Bravo had been closely allied to Kato during the 2008 War the Central Committee asked a reluctant Bravo to try and reign Kato in so to speak, bring him back within the fold. This was a crucial issue for the MILF primarily because the Government's Peace Panel was reluctant to continue negotiations as long as Kato remained an un-resolved issue. Why pour time and effort- and much more importantly- a tonne of money- into a GPH-MILF FPA, or Final Peace Agreement, if Kato will continue to sow terror throughout Central Mindanao?
Kumander Bravo's four man delegation, dubbed "BIUT," or "Bravo Initiative Team Unity" by the Central Committee (Filipino Muslims swear they aren't Filipinos and yet they have the same ridiculous obssession with acronyms, go figure) was led by sub-Kumander Mohammed Khalid al Haj, a sub-Kumander with whom Kato was friendly. Although Kato received the men warmly when they entered his main camp in the hills above the town of Datu Piang in Maguindanao Province on April 20th, he refused to budge and even turned the tables by inviting all four as well as Bravo to join the BIFF.
Returning to the Libyan contingent of the IMT for a moment, the MILF's Central Committee had released an official statement on Khadaffy near the end of the First Quarter (March 5th) in which it labeled everybody's favourite cross-dressing Arab Socialist as,"Power Hungry," and stated that he had broken his solemn word in that he had never empowered the common people. This came less than two weeks after the Central Committee had released its first statement on the Libyan Civil War in which it showered Khadaffy with praise. At least the MILF is good for a laugh.
With Norway and the EU joining the IMT in the First Quarter most people seem to have forgot that the pair are merely have of the invited nations. Indeed, a third, Indonesia transmitted its intentions to join IMT-6 via a Note Verbale to the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta on March 31st, 2011. The Note Verbale was following up a statement made by Indonesia's President Yudhoyono made in February during a State Visit to Indonesia by Philippine President Aquino. Obstensibly Indonesia committed itself in order to reciprocate Philippine participation in monitoring implementation of the MoU, or Memorandum of Understanding with the Free Aceh rebels in 2005. Though Indonesia is the world's most populous Islamic nation it too has had to deal with various Islamo-fascist insurgencies, in addition to ethno-nationalist struggles such as that of the "Free Papua" movement in Irin Jaya.
Finally, as IMT-5 departed and IMT-6 arrived Malaysia's Deputy Minster of Defence, Datuk Dr.Abdul Latif Ahmad made waves when pointedly declared that IMT-6 has to be the last Malaysian-led deployment. More to the point he threatened a doqngrading in the Malaysian-Philippine relationship if the GPH-MILF Peace Process fails to deliver an FPA, or Final Peace Agreement in 2011. He then continued running off at the mouth by inferring that both sides use the IMT as a crutch with which to avoid actual progress in the GPH-MILF Peace Process. In an interview on April 10th, 2011 Minister Datuk Dr.Ahmad said these things just after an official visit to IMT Headquarters in Cotabato City, accompanied by Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines, Datuk Seri Dr.Ibrahim Sa'ad. Both men spent two days on Mindanao (April 9th and April 10th), heading to the MILF/BIAF Headquarters at Camp Darapanan upon leaving Cotabato City. After meeting with Chairman al Haj Murad Ebrahim both Minister Datuk Dr.Ahmad and Ambassador Datuk Seri Dr.Sa'ad then hosted a dinner for roughly 150 Malaysian citizens who reside on Mindanao at the Malaysian Consulate in Davao City.
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