The joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) managed to stop the skirmishes between two warring Moro families in remote Barangay Sambulawan here, a police official said Thursday.
Maj. Rolly Oranza, municipal police chief, said the CCCH, in coordination with concerned agencies and representatives of the two Moro armed groups, initiated the dialogue at the border of barangays Sambolawan and Lomopog here on Wednesday afternoon.
Midsayap Mayor Rolly Sacdalan led the local government counterparts in the talks that stemmed from a land dispute.
“The dialogue was successful and prevented the escalation of skirmishes for the safety of the civilians,” Oranza said, adding that the parties agreed to the installation of a temporary neutral post for government peacekeeping forces near the area.
Sambolawan forms part of the 63-village special geographical area of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in North Cotabato.
The warring clans involved those of Lampudin Tawali of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and MILF commander Rene Tukuran.
“Affected residents have started to return home after they received the advice from local counterparts,” Oranza said.
The skirmishes broke out Tuesday dawn, forcing about 300 families in Sambolawan to flee their homes.
A fleeing civilian, identified as Ustadz Hassan Abdullah of Sambolawan, was injured by a stray bullet during one of the clashes.
Source: Philippines News Agency
