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by Our Foreign Desk
FILIPINO Moro rebels surrendered dozens of weapons yesterday as part of a truce with the government.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Milf) chairman Murad Ebrahim and Filipino President Benigno Aquino witnessed the handover of 75 weapons, including mortars and rocket launchers, in the rebel stronghold of Sultan Kudarat.
A group of 145 Milf guerillas who will return to civilian life were also identified — the first out of a total force of 11,000.
Mr Murad said that despite the relatively small numbers of men and arms involved, it was “something deeply personal” to the pair.
“As I look at the faces of each of our 145 brothers here this morning, I see 145 stories of struggle, of pain, of hopelessness and even of death,” he said.
“Yet I also see 145 stories of hope and faith that indeed peace is near and that all the sacrifices have been worth it.”
Mr Aquino faces opposition to his policy of reconciliation with the Milf.
But he insisted: “We are not talking of just one or a couple or a dozen firearms. These are high-powered firearms — modern and have not aged. These arms can deal and have dealt extreme suffering.”
He said the arms turnover showed the rebel group’s “readiness to turn their backs to armed struggle.”
The peace ceremony was marred by news of a pipe bomb attack by the Milf split Abu Sayyaf group, which killed one soldier and wounded eight on Basilan island, off the south coast of Mindanao.
“My troops returned fire and dismounted from the vehicle to repulse the attackers, numbering about seven,” said Lieutenant Colonel Cristobal Paolo Perez, adding that Abu Sayyaf fled after 15 minutes of “intense firefight.”
The deal between Manila and the Milf hinges on proposed legislation to create an autonomous region in the west of Mindanao and neighbouring small islands where the Muslim Moro — the Spanish for Moor — are the majority.
Mr Aquino accused some congress members of trying to delay the new law.
More than 120,000 combatants and civilians have died in the 45 years of the Moro rebellion.
