¨
PHILIPPINES: CHRISTIANS FEAR FAILED PACT INCREASES RISK OF REPRISALS
Frustrated Muslim demand for larger autonomous region in Mindanao could lead to war.
Militant Islamists in the Philippine island of Mindanao have stepped up their attacks on majority-Christian villages following the failure of a peace agreement that would have enlarged an existing Muslim autonomous region there.
With Muslim commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the southern Philippines saying ongoing support from the international community was necessary to prevent full-scale war breaking out in Mindanao, both Muslim and Christian residents in the disputed territories were fearful of what the future might hold.
“The problem is that many people living in these areas don’t want to be part of a Muslim autonomous region,” a source in Mindanao who preferred to remain anonymous said.
“The closer you get to these zones, the more nervous people are.” A Christian family from the area said many people were afraid to sleep at night because they kept hearing reports that they would be attacked at midnight.
Network
