Precondition to peace
Precondition to peace
Posted 10:54pm (Mla time) Feb 06, 2005
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the February 7, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
THE PEACE talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front resume in Kuala Lumpur this month. Because three armed encounters last month cast a pall over the already protracted peace process, the simple announcement that the next round will push through on schedule is cause for real, albeit cautious, optimism.
Last month, a group of renegade MILF rebels attacked an army outpost in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, killing seven soldiers. And in pursuit of Indonesian members of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group allegedly harbored by another MILF command, the Armed Forces' 6th Infantry Division launched two military strikes in three towns in Maguindanao. The AFP has claimed killing 40 armed men, including three of the Indonesians.
Both supporters and critics of the peace process have sounded the alarm over the encounters, fearing that they spell danger ahead. And Bantay Ceasefire, a multi-sectoral group of peace advocates, warned that the continuing pursuit of JI members was jeopardizing the 18-month-old ceasefire itself. The group also appealed to the MILF to impose appropriate measures on the renegades, particularly its Commander Wahid.
Perhaps, self-consciously, the peace group sought to strike a balance, apportioning equal blame to the AFP and the MILF. If this is so, it is a stance we can easily understand. The group does not want to be perceived as favoring one side or the other.
But in this particular case, the equivalence of responsibility is in fact a false one. MILF renegades are a bigger threat to the peace negotiations than the military's continuing anti-terrorist operations.
Let us be clear: The status of "lost commands" in the MILF is a real obstacle to peace. They make arduous negotiations even more difficult. And they raise the question of whether any agreement reached during these negotiations can in fact be enforced.
On the other hand, neither the MILF nor any third party can seriously suggest that the government put its counter-terrorism campaign on hold. Jemaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaeda-affiliated network seeking to establish a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia, is a dangerous threat to national security. And unlike the Moro rebellion, the solution to the JI problem is not and cannot be a matter of negotiation.
To be sure, Bantay Ceasefire's argument against the continuing JI "manhunt" revolves around the question of collateral damage on the civilian population. "Bantay Ceasefire appeals to the Armed Forces to strictly follow the guidelines of their Commander in Chief, [which are] meant to lower the impact of military operations on civilians," the group's statement last week read. They have a point; to the extent that it can, the military must warn civilians in a battle zone ahead of an operation, or move areas of operation away from centers of population. But like the proverbial guerrilla swimming in a sea of people, terrorists also seek cover by blending in.
The AFP believes that some members of the MILF continue to give refuge to JI partisans. If belief is reflected in reality, then these MILF members must bear joint responsibility for any collateral damage a counter-terrorism strike may inflict on civilians.
But "some members?" "These members?" The language reminds us that the monster of renegade rebels has once again reared its head. Since the death of its founder, the MILF has had to struggle with the issue of the so-called lost commands. Their emergence has legitimized concerns about control-or the lack of it-over the MILF's 12,000 regulars. The MILF must resolve this issue once and for all.
Posted 10:54pm (Mla time) Feb 06, 2005
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the February 7, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
THE PEACE talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front resume in Kuala Lumpur this month. Because three armed encounters last month cast a pall over the already protracted peace process, the simple announcement that the next round will push through on schedule is cause for real, albeit cautious, optimism.
Last month, a group of renegade MILF rebels attacked an army outpost in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, killing seven soldiers. And in pursuit of Indonesian members of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group allegedly harbored by another MILF command, the Armed Forces' 6th Infantry Division launched two military strikes in three towns in Maguindanao. The AFP has claimed killing 40 armed men, including three of the Indonesians.
Both supporters and critics of the peace process have sounded the alarm over the encounters, fearing that they spell danger ahead. And Bantay Ceasefire, a multi-sectoral group of peace advocates, warned that the continuing pursuit of JI members was jeopardizing the 18-month-old ceasefire itself. The group also appealed to the MILF to impose appropriate measures on the renegades, particularly its Commander Wahid.
Perhaps, self-consciously, the peace group sought to strike a balance, apportioning equal blame to the AFP and the MILF. If this is so, it is a stance we can easily understand. The group does not want to be perceived as favoring one side or the other.
But in this particular case, the equivalence of responsibility is in fact a false one. MILF renegades are a bigger threat to the peace negotiations than the military's continuing anti-terrorist operations.
Let us be clear: The status of "lost commands" in the MILF is a real obstacle to peace. They make arduous negotiations even more difficult. And they raise the question of whether any agreement reached during these negotiations can in fact be enforced.
On the other hand, neither the MILF nor any third party can seriously suggest that the government put its counter-terrorism campaign on hold. Jemaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaeda-affiliated network seeking to establish a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia, is a dangerous threat to national security. And unlike the Moro rebellion, the solution to the JI problem is not and cannot be a matter of negotiation.
To be sure, Bantay Ceasefire's argument against the continuing JI "manhunt" revolves around the question of collateral damage on the civilian population. "Bantay Ceasefire appeals to the Armed Forces to strictly follow the guidelines of their Commander in Chief, [which are] meant to lower the impact of military operations on civilians," the group's statement last week read. They have a point; to the extent that it can, the military must warn civilians in a battle zone ahead of an operation, or move areas of operation away from centers of population. But like the proverbial guerrilla swimming in a sea of people, terrorists also seek cover by blending in.
The AFP believes that some members of the MILF continue to give refuge to JI partisans. If belief is reflected in reality, then these MILF members must bear joint responsibility for any collateral damage a counter-terrorism strike may inflict on civilians.
But "some members?" "These members?" The language reminds us that the monster of renegade rebels has once again reared its head. Since the death of its founder, the MILF has had to struggle with the issue of the so-called lost commands. Their emergence has legitimized concerns about control-or the lack of it-over the MILF's 12,000 regulars. The MILF must resolve this issue once and for all.
posted by Dante at 12:00 AM
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