COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / July 25, 2014) – A 14-year old Muslim villager and his father remain missing nearly a month after government troops arrested them on a village near Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines, according to the Kawagib Moro human rights group.
It said the victims – Mohammad Abdulkarim and his son – were heading home to the village of Dapiawan from their neighboring town of Sharif Aguak when soldiers from the 45th Infantry Battalion arrested them July 3 for a still unknown reason.
Kawagib Moro which recently finished a fact-finding mission said it also recorded many cases of human rights violations against civilians allegedly committed by soldiers in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region. It condemned the abuses.
“For the longest time, these civilians have had to endure the fascism of the mercenary troops of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) resulting to lose of life, security, and property. In this holy month of Ramadhan, it is revolting that common Moro people, adults and children alike, have to be victims of human rights violations from the hands of the forces that are supposed to deliver peace and security in Moro communities,” it said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
It also said that troops, belonging to the Mechanized Brigade, have been encamping in civilian community in Dapiawan village which is a gross violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.
“In the guise of protecting people and going after members of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, the mercenary army is targeting civilians and putting them at risk of further violations,” Kawagib Moro said, adding, an infant was also wounded after being hit by a stray bullet in one military operation in the province on June 7.
“These are not the only cases of gross violation of human rights of the AFP against the Moro people. The fascist and mercenary troops have a long record of utmost contempt and inconsideration to life and security of civilians. It is convulsing to note that in the face of President Aquino’s pretense of peace in the Bangsamoro, the Moro people are still suffering and victims are yet to claim justice.”
“With these, it is expected that Kawagib Moro together with the Moro people will continue its vigilance, expose any form of violation to their rights, and ardently struggle to claim justice and peace in Mindanao,” it said.
There was no immediate statement from the 6th Infantry Division or the Mechanized Brigade on the allegations and accusations of the human rights group. (Mindanao Examiner)
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