Daesh could gain from frustration over Mindanao autonomy bill, warns Moro Front

Mindanao (IINA) – Murad Ebrahim, head of  Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Mindanao region of the Philippines, warned on Monday that the Daesh could gain from frustrations in the country’s south following the failure of the Philippine Congress to pass an autonomy bill as part of a peace agreement.
He said the militant group Daesh has attempted over the past year to recruit supporters in Mindanao but MILF has worked to convince them that the peace pact signed with the government in 2014 was the best solution. But Ebrahim said the delay in enactment of the bill that aims to establish a more powerful and better-funded autonomous region for Muslim minority has led to frustrations that could be capitalized by Daesh and other small hard-line rebel groups.
The 11,000-strong MILF dropped its secessionist bid and settled for broader autonomy for the minority Muslim population in the south of the largely Roman Catholic nation in a Malaysian-brokered pact it signed with Manila in 2014. The conflict has left 150,000 people dead and stunted development in the country’s poorest region.
Under the deal, a bill was submitted to Congress to create the autonomous region to be called Bangsamoro. The bill’s early passage was stalled by anger over the killing of 44 police commandos in fighting that involved some fighters from the Moro group last year.
Lawmakers ended the last regular session of their term last month without passing the bill. Murad said his group will not completely abandon its armed struggle but will not revert to violence as long as the peace process has a chance to move forward. He said he is hopeful that the new president, to be elected later this year, will support and continue the efforts for peace, according to the Associated Press.
AB/IINA

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