[Inquirer] Notorious fugitive Nur Misuari, founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, was among over 2,000 MNLF militants and supporters who came from all over Mindanao to attend a "general membership meeting" in Sulu province last weekend, according to a top faction chief of the group. Habib Hashim Mudjahab, chair of the MNLF's Islamic Command Council, said the talks were focused on preparations for the tripartite meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from January 25-27.Misuari faces multiple murder charges in connection with the 2013 siege of Zamboanga City by his rebel followers, which left more than 200 people dead and hundreds of thousands of families homeless. A warrant for his arrest was issued in December 2013, but there was no move by law enforcement agencies to arrest him during the meeting in the militant stronghold in Barangay Kagay in Indanan town.
Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, who confirmed Misuari's presence in Kagay, said, "It is not our job to serve the warrant of arrest. It's the mandate of our police. If they (police) need our help as backup support, we will do so."
Mudjahab said it would not be easy for security forces to arrest Misuari in the presence of thousands of MNLF militants and supporters. He said, "The meeting was in full coordination with the local authorities, and maybe they made an evaluation about the repercussions (of a Misuari arrest)."