The Philippine government and the country’s largest Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), have agreed to facilitate the return of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs)
Aid workers hope this could be the harbinger (forvarsel) of a lasting peace deal, writes IRINnews Friday.
KAMPE OPHØRT
The agreement, concluded after talks in Kuala Lumpur on 22 April, comes amid independent reports that fighting all but stopped in parts of southern Mindanao island after a Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) returned in February to help implement a ceasefire agreed last year.
Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, the government’s chief negotiator with the 12,000-strong MILF, said both sides appeared to be moving towards sealing a “comprehensive compact” soon.
However, rebel leaders have told IRIN previously they would be unlikely to strike a deal with President Gloria Arroyo, whose stormy six-year term is set to end in June.
GODT SAMARBEJDE
The turnaround of incidents of ceasefire violations from very high to very low is attributed to the good cooperation and teamwork between the government, MILF and The Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) in cooperation with civil society organizations.
