Philippines military clashes with Muslim rebels in south

Clashes between Philippine troops and Muslim rebels in a southern village killed at least three government soldiers and four fighters with a Muslim separatist group, both parties reported on Thursday. 

The rebels belonged to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), one of the largest Muslim separatist groups in the southern Philippines. In a 2014 peace pact, the group said it would disarm and abandon plans for cessation in exchange for concessions. 

The Philippines military said the skirmish was the result of a "miscommunication" with MILF rebels, who were seen entering a village on the southern island of Basilan in violation of the 2014 deal.

A MILF solider then opened fire at government troops who approached the rebels, Philippines Brigadier General Domingo Gobway told AFP news agency. 

Maintaining peace in a volatile area

For decades, the Catholic-majority Philippines has dealt with a Muslim-led separatist uprising in the south that has killed more than 100,000 people.

As part of the 2014 disarmament agreement, the Moro Front was allowed a self-ruled area called the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, a collection of islands in the Muslim-majority southern Philippines.

Government officials and former rebels who now lead the transitional government in the region  have expressed concern over the latest clashes.

On Thursday, MILF authorities and the government said a ceasefire was in force following the skirmish, with deescalation talks planned.

Both sides expressed alarm and disappointment that fighting had broke out again. 

The clashes could threaten the 2014 peace pact, as the region continues to be beset by poverty, loose firearms and private armies.

"We thought there would be no more fighting between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the MILF because of the peace agreement," Basilan representative Mujiv Hataman told the Filipino news outlet Rappler. 

The full disarmament of the Muslim rebels, known as the "decommissioning process" in the 2014 deal, has yet to materialize. It has been faced with continuous delays as rebels complain of failing to receive cash and other incentives from the government.

Clashes between the Philippines military and the Moro front have been a rare occurrence since the peace deal, an International Crisis Group analyst told AFP. 

The deal was widely supported by Western powers, who fear a lawless, Muslim-dominated south could turn into the perfect breeding ground for extremists.

rmt/wmr (AFP, AP)