Philippines insurgency: Duterte approves amnesty programme for Muslim, communist rebels

President Rodrigo Duterte’s orders, yet to be passed by Congress, will allow thousands of guerillas to surrender their weapons to return to normal life

But the programme excludes the notoriously brutal Abu Sayyaf and other small armed bands associated with Islamic State

Reading Time:2 minutes

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has promised to resolve Muslim and communist insurgencies before he leaves office next year, saying in his declaration that there is a need to reintegrate all rebels and insurgents into mainstream society. Photo: AP

Published: 3:24pm, 17 Feb 2021Updated: 3:27pm, 17 Feb 2021

The president of the Philippines has approved an amnesty programme for Muslim and communist rebels who would agree to surrender their weapons to return to normal life, in the latest such attempt to tame rural insurgencies that have raged for half a century.

Thousands of guerillas belonging to two large Muslim groups in the country’s south and a communist rebel faction could apply for the amnesty within a year after it gets approved by Congress, according to President Rodrigo Duterte’s signed orders made public late on Tuesday.

The three rebel groups have signed separate peace deals with Duterte’s predecessors which have eased decades of fighting but have not been fully enforced due to unresolved issues.

Leaders of the largest armed group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, have been put in charge temporarily of administering a new Muslim autonomous region in the south while thousands of its fighters are disarmed.

“It’s welcome as long as it’s based on our peace agreement,” said Moro Islamic Liberation Front spokesman Von Al Haq.

His rebel group’s peace deal with the government provides for a general amnesty with an agreed manner of “decommissioning”, a subtle term for disarming thousands of its combatants in batches depending largely on government compliance with the peace pact.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x