New humanitarian mechanism for rebel groups succefully tested in the Philippines: international mission meets with MILF leaders in Mindanao and Manila

New humanitarian mechanism for rebel groups successfully tested in the Philippines: International mission meets with Moro Islamic Liberation Front leaders in Mindanao and Manila

Geneva Call, a new international humanitarian organization working to secure respect for humanitarian norms by armed groups world-wide, has just released the 27-page report of a six-member mission which visited and met with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Central Mindanao and in Manila, Philippines on April 7 and 8, 2002, thereby successfully piloting, for the first time at the international level, a new mechanism for adherence and accountability of rebel groups to humanitarian norms, starting with the total ban on anti-personnel landmines. The mission also successfully demonstrated that there is another way to deal with rebel groups, even those tagged as “terrorist,” other than the coercive ways of military action and criminal prosecution.

The mission was headed by retired Indian General Dipankar Banerjee who is Executive Director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies in Colombo. It was coordinated in the Philippines by Atty. Soliman M. Santos, Jr., Director for Asia of Geneva Call. The four other members of the mission were Frenchman Andre-Marc Farineau, Operations Officer of the Swiss Federation for Mine Action; Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Co-Coordinator of the Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines; Faiz Mohammad Fayyaz, Director for Policy and Advocacy, Pakistan Campaign to Ban Landmines; and Alfredo Lubang, Peace Advocacy Program Coordinator, Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute.

The mission was able to secure a clear and definitive commitment from the MILF at a high level to a total and unconditional ban on anti-personnel mines, understood to be victim-activated, whereas before the MILF justified resort to such landmines on “defensive and discriminate” grounds. This was highlighted by the signing of the new “Deed of Commitment under Geneva Call for Adherence to a Total Ban on Anti-Personnel Mines and for Cooperation in Mine Action” by the MILF’s Al Haj Murad when he and other MILF leaders met with two Filipino members, Atty. Santos and Prof. Ferrer, of the international mission in his field camp in Maguindanao province in Mindanao island on April 7, 2002.

Murad is the MILF Vice-Chairman for Military Affairs, Chief of Staff of its Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) and Chairman of the MILF Peace Panel Chairman. The new Deed of Commitment itself is a significant improvement over the oldDeed of Commitment signed by MILF representative Atty. Lanang S. Ali on March 27, 2000 in Geneva, and in some aspects even over the 1997 Ottawa Treaty, the mine ban treaty among governments. Aside from Murad and Atty. Ali (MILF Legal Counsel and Peace Panel member), the other MILF leaders at the meeting were Mohagher Iqbal (Chairman, Committee on Information, Central Committee, MILF), Tops Julhani (MILF CCCH Chairperson and a BIAF Division Commander), and Dan Dimakenal (MILF CCCH Senior Member and a BIAF General Staff member).

It was the old Deed of Commitment which was the basis of the mission to visit and meet with the MILF to thresh out its alleged violations of its earlier commitment. The Mindanao meeting continued with a meeting between the full mission and a duly authorized MILF panel led by Atty. Ali and joined by Datu Michael O. Mastura (an MILF Peace Panel member) and Atty. Musib M. Buat (MILF Technical Committee Chairperson) at Seven Suites, Antipolo City on April 8, 2002. The process of dialogue contained some elements of verification as well as clarification, especially on the MILF’s admitted use of “string-pulled” improvised landmines and on the correct concept of “command detonation.” Command-detonated munitions as well as anti-tank mines are not covered by the ban.

Unfortunately, because of last-minute constraints placed on the non-Filipino members of the mission proceeding to Mindanao to visit and meet with the MILF, the mission was precluded from conducting some ground verification and field inspection. Thus, specific reported landmining incidents and landmines recovered being attributed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the MILF could not be independently verified as well as further investigated to deepen and complete the data with the participation of technical expert members of the mission.

In discussing the next steps to implement the MILF’s new commitment, the mission was able to get a fair idea of the extent of technical assistance needed by the MILF for its own implementation measures. Next steps were agreed upon in four areas: implementing guidelines, verification mechanism, mine clearance, and various trainings. Some of these measures would tie in with mechanisms for the peace process and the ceasefire implementation involving the Philippine government and the MILF.

The mission hopes that it was able to make a contribution to a mine-free Philippines and the broader cause of peace not only in terms of the next steps and what these may achieve in helping the process move along at a time of some impasse but also in terms of showing some basis to have trust and confidence in the MILF. By cooperatively receiving and making responses to the mission regarding alleged violations, it has shown a measure of accountability for humanitarian norms. It has thus provided an example for other rebel groups in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world.

The full mission report and photographs are available upon request.