“From war zone, to economic zone” is the official slogan of the Province of Sulu.
But it is “back to war zone again”– that is how civil society describes the situation in Sulu today. In this tiny, but perennially embattled island, what is abnormal has become normal. Community life is permeated with insecurity, suspicions and violence. And with over fifty thousand evacuees now rendered homeless because of the renewed fighting between the military and the Moro National Liberation Front, Sulu is embroiled in a humanitarian quagmire.
“From war zone, to economic zone” is the official slogan of the Province of Sulu.
But it is “back to war zone again”– that is how civil society describes the situation in Sulu today. In this tiny, but perennially embattled island, what is abnormal has become normal. Community life is permeated with insecurity, suspicions and violence. And with over fifty thousand evacuees now rendered homeless because of the renewed fighting between the military and the Moro National Liberation Front, Sulu is embroiled in a humanitarian quagmire.
The voice of one Babuh Insih is telling. Babu, who hails from Indanan revealed in a round-table forum in Zamboanga early this week that this recent war marks the 13th time she has evacuated. Last April 18, the deafening roar of canons again assaulted her community in Barangay Licup prompting her family to run for safety. She arrived along with thousands more at the evacuation center with virtually nothing. As always, their sustenance was now at the mercy of food rations from relief agencies. But the expected relief goods never came.
Even as tons of food arrived at the port of Jolo since April 21 amidst the rapid response from international organizations and relief groups to the crisis, sadly it is taking ages to distribute them to the evacuees. Like the evacuees caught in the armed conflict as collateral damage, the 4,420 sacks of rice from international relief assistance are moot captives in the contest among political interests who want to use the rice as their campaign tool in the coming election. This is double jeopardy to the fifty thousand civilians, mostly women and children who are hungry and thirsty. Their access to regular, timely and adequate relief assistance spells life and death in the evacuation centers.
The Mindanao Peaceweavers call upon our leaders and politicians to set aside their selfish political agenda and refrain from putting any pressure and undue influence that disrupt the quick, steady and unhampered distribution of relief goods. We call upon the military to recognize the independence of relief agencies and social welfare groups in responding to the humanitarian needs of the evacuees. We recommend the installation of an efficient, transparent, unimpeded distribution system and enhance coordination mechanisms between and among relief agencies with the participation of civil society and Bangsamoro women leaders. We believe that support of the Bangsamoro women will ensure speedy, transparent and systematic relief distribution.
The humanitarian crisis is clearly an offshoot of a complex political problem that has besieged not only Sulu but mainland Mindanao for centuries. If government continues to ignore the root causes of the problem by selectively citing legalese concepts like the rule of law in its treatment of the likes of Ustadz Habier Malik, it will never be able to touch the core issue of the conflict. No wonder the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process is now addressing relief operations instead of stepping up processes for dialogue with the MNLF and heed the proposal of the OIC for a ceasefire.
We urge both government and the MNLF to open the channels for dialogue and take immediate steps to avert an escalation of violence. We believe that the genuine full implementation of the 1996 Peace Agreement will be decisive in preventing moderate revolutionary leaders from joining extremist elements and groups. Once we abrogate this internationally-supported covenant by pursuing full military operations in Sulu, we simply push our own people to the morass of global terrorism. God forbid, the consequences are simply unimaginable.
Mindanao Peaceweavers is a convergence of peace advocates in Mindanao. It currently represents the broadest network of peace constituency in the island cutting across NGOs, academe, religious, human rights groups, peoples organizations and grassroots communities advancing a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Mindanao.
The Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID), is its co-secretariate.
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