MANILA: Muslim rebels in the Philippines said that they had protested against the arrests of four members, warning it could adversely affect talks aimed at ending the decades-long insurgency.
The arrests come amid diminishing confidence in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front over the government’s sincerity in trying to seal a deal to end the rebellion which has left 150,000 people dead since the 1970s.
Milf Vice Chairman for political affairs, Ghadzali Jaafar, said some rebel leaders believed the arrests were a deliberate attempt to target the group despite a ceasefire.
“We filed this protest to send a message to the government that we are not happy with what is going on and we are very much concerned about the situation,” he said. He said four Milf fighters were arrested recently for alleged illegal possession of ammunition in separate incidents in the southern island of Mindanao, home of the country’s Muslim minority.
Jaafar said that under the ceasefire, Milf fighters are allowed to keep their firearms and ammunition. He also complained that the resumption of formal talks had been put off for too long, adding that the government might be deliberately delaying the negotiations.
The head of the government peace panel, Miriam Coronel, said in a statement she had asked the police to issue a complete report on the cases. AFP
