MILF slams MNLF for ‘lying thru their teeth’
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Sunday accused the group of former Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari of “lying through their teeth” to derail the peace process in Mindanao.
MILF vice-chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar, in a phone interview, said it was “illogical” for their commanders to transfer to defect to Misuari’s MNLF faction.
“We have just signed a framework agreement with the government, and this is supported by all Muslims, even those who are non-Bangsamoro,” he said.
“Even the MNLF, majority of them have supported the framework agreement,” Jaafar said after Misuari’s faction claimed four MILF leaders had defected to their side.
The MNLF split in 2001, with the Council of 15 led by Cotabato Vice Governor Muslimin Sema ousting Misuari as chairman.
Misuari and his supporters regrouped and refused to acknowledge Sema’s chairmanship over what they claimed was the “official MNLF.”
While the influential Organization of Islamic Cooperation recognizes both the Sema and Misuari factions of the MNLF, Jaafar said it also supported the framework agreement between the government and the MILF, with the Oct. 15 signing ceremony attended by OIC secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
Earlier, Gapur Hadjirul, the political director of the Misuari faction of the MNLF, identified the defecting commanders as Samer Samsudin Lungkatay, Samer Salamat, Abdulwahid Jainalan and a certain Saidale.
He claimed Samsudin was the former chairman of the MILF Council of Ulamas while Salamat was the brother of deceased MILF founder Hashim Salamat and allegedly commands some 8,000 MILF troops. Jainalan, on the other hand, was supposedly a former security chief of MILF who commands about 6,500 fighters while Saidale was allegedly a new commander who is the leader of 1,500 armed men.
“First off, that totals to about 16,000 fighters who are under the four commanders who allegedly defected. We only have 11,000 members. Where did they get the other 5,000?” Jaafar said.
“Besides, Samer Salamat should have been Samer Hashim, because chairman Hashim Salamat’s surname is Hashim,” he added.
Jaafar said there was no such thing as MILF Council of Ulamas, and Hashim remains the head of the MILF’s national guard.
“These people—are they not ashamed that they lie through their teeth just for propaganda? They are misleading people,” Jaafar said.
Hadjirul claimed the four MILF commanders did not approve of the framework agreement.
“Murad is very upset at the defection of Samsudin… Murad through an emissary asked Samsudin and [renegade MILF commander Ameril Umbra] Kato to return to the MILF in exchange for P10 million,” Hadjirul said, quoting a source from within Murad’s inner circle.
“The money that was to be used was the money given by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,” Hadjirul added, but “95 percent of the MILF that defected to the MNLF rejected the offer outright.”
Najib attended the signing ceremony of the framework accord that seeks to establish a new political entity called Bangsamoro that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Misuari has publicly opposed the deal, saying it is an insult to the 1996 final peace agreement with the MNLF that paved the way for the establishment of the ARMM.
Sema’s group, however, threw its support behind the Bangsamoro deal and was present during the signing of the framework pact.
this peace pact will not prosper kay karon pa lang gani nagsige na og pangungat ang mnlf ...unsa kahay padulgnan ani..
MILF slams MNLF for
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