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Muslim groups encourage MILF, MNLF to unite
Muslim groups in Mindanao have called on two Moro forces to unify their efforts. Ali T. Yacub, president of a Muslim group called Golden Crescent, said, "[The unity between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)] is very important. This is to facilitate discussions in the peace process."Both forces have been at odds for years due to ideological differences and the issue of Moro ethnolinguistic divisions. The MNLF has a big following in Western Mindanao, while the MILF controls the mainland of the island. The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) earlier created a Bangsamoro Coordination Forum as a solution to unite the two Moro forces in Mindanao and resolve the difference in their ideologies. Prof. Ekemelddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the 57-nation OIC, has said the two Moro forces should unite since the peace process revolves "around the same problem and the same territory. The process of coordination between the two forces has become of utmost necessity." Other Muslim groups here have also noted that before any efforts to unify the two Moro forces, the MNLF itself should be unified.The MNLF is now broken into several factions due to leadership conflicts. Datu Randy Karon, an MNLF leader based in central Mindanao, said there are efforts to resolve the internal conflicts within the MNLF. He said dialogues have been started among key senior leaders of the MNLF. Posted by: ryuge 2013-12-02 |
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