Peace Talks Amid Renewed Violence in the Philippines

Talks which began on April 18 between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are being flagged as a ‘breakthrough' in the eight-year bid to put an end to decades of guerrilla warfare in the southern Philippines, but are coming at a time when attacks from another Islamist formation, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), appear to be on the rise.At the end of a three-day meeting in the Malaysian city of Port Dickson delegations from Manila and the MILF sounded upbeat over the issue of rights to an ‘ancestral domain' on the island of Mindanao, where the Islamist group has been fighting to establish an independent Islamic state. For the first time, as reported by the Manila Times, the discussions extended beyond cessation of hostilities to major issues such as how much of Mindanao is to be controlled by the MILF. Formal peace negotiations are to begin within months.
However, continued conflict between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and MILF guerrillas is complicating progress on the ground. Right up to the inception of this latest round of talks the AFP attacked MILF forces in Maguindanao in the face of attempts to defuse violence, in a targeted attack on members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), considered to be hiding in the area. On an April 17 posting on the MILF website the group's leaders described the attack as an attempt to sabotage talks, denying that there were JI members in the area.

COMMENT
The Philippines is one of those countries which did not scape the violence and like Colombia fight every day to create spaces and processes to achieve peace. As Colombia Philippines suffers an internal problem of armed conflict generated by the guerrillas that hole in the country and become increasingly innocent lives. Unlike the case of Colombia, as in most countries in East conflict filipense lies primarily in religious disputes and territorial not discriminate ages or conditions.

Armed illegal groups: Philippines and Colombia aren't so differents in this topic

Abu Sayyaf (Philippines)
Image: kerrycollinson.net


FARC (Colombia)
Image: talcualdigital.com



The origin of guerrilla is different, it is politician in Colombia and ideological in Philippines but the process of peace, the actions against people and somethinks like that are similar.

Actually United States of America is helping to Philipin and Colombian army to fight against this armed illegal groups.

Guerrilla

In Phillippines:

1. The Moro Front of National Liberation: This group was created in 1969. The objective is obtain the independence of Mindanao island.

2. FMLI - The Moro Front of Islamic Liberation: This organization want the independence of the Moslem minority in the south of the country (also in Mindanao island) and it's has approximately 13.000 armed men.

3. Abu Sayyaf is a extremist Islamic group, it's very bloody . This group was created by Iranians and USA say that it's linked with Al-Qaeda.

In Colombia:

1. FARC - The Revolutionary armed forces of Colombia was born in 1964. Who belongs to this group say that they are the army of the people and the objective is obtain the social, economic and political equality. However, for some actions, many people think that it's a terrorist group.

2. ELN - The armed of national liberation was creted in 1964. This organization follows the ideology of Che guevara.

In Colombia and Philippines this groups usually do attacks, criminal assaults, murders and kidnapes. The philippine gerrilla kidnap to tourist and colombian guerrilla kidnap rich people and important people into society like Politicians.

All actions of this groups were forms for obtain many money.
Other interesting think is that many many people, in Philippines like in Colombia, have to gou to other places to live and the principal cause is the violence, the fear and the threads.

Process of peace

Philippines like Colombia the government did a intent for obtain an agreement of peace with the armed groups but in two casesthe process was a unsuccessful attempt.