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| Southeast Asia |
| Rebel infighting empties town |
| 2010-08-11 |
| [Straits Times] THOUSANDS have fled a troubled Muslim town in southern Philippines after violence between separatists erupted days ahead of Islam's holy month of Ramadan, rebel and army officials said on Tuesday. The army fired artillery rounds and rockets on Monday to separate warring rebel factions fighting for control of a river delta in Datu Piang town, prompting a rebuke from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that it had breached a ceasefire. A truce has been holding for about a year on Mindanao island. The rebels have said they are concerned about the the new government's plan to overhaul talks to end the long-running insurgency. 'We filed a protest,' Mohagher Iqbal, the rebels' chief peace negotiator, told reporters from the guerrillas' main base. 'It's a violation of our ceasefire. Even if our men were fighting each other, it does not justify the military's involvement.' The army said more than 5,000 people had fled their homes and farms since the violence first erupted on Saturday. Major-General Anthony Alcantara, the most senior army commander in central Mindanao region, dismissed accusations that the army had violated the truce. Philippine governments and the MILF have been in stop-start negotiations since 1997, but an acceptable political deal remain elusive. |
| Posted by:Fred |