Tours of duty extended for 2 groups involved in Mindanao peace process

MANILA, Philippines - The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have agreed to extend by one year the mandates of two bodies playing vital roles in the peace process.

The MILF said negotiators from both sides have decided to extend the tours of duty of the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).

The agreement was reached last Jan. 26, according to an article posted on the MILF website luwaran.com.

“But the number of the personnel of the IMT will be reduced a bit,” the article read without elaborating.

Last year, the government and MILF peace panels extended the mandate of IMT and AHJAG March 2014 and Feb. 14, 2014, respectively.   

The IMT is a body mandated to monitor the ceasefire humanitarian, rehabilitation, development and civilian protection agreements between the government and the MILF. First deployed in 2004, the IMT is headed by Malaysia with members from Brunei, Japan, Indonesia, Norway and the European Union.

The plan to reduce the IMT personnel came as the government and the MILF reach the final stretch of their talks with the signing of the annex on normalization. The agreement provides for, among other matters, the gradual decommissioning of MILF combatants. 

Meanwhile, the AHJAG is tasked to isolate and interdict criminal and lawless groups in Mindanao. Criminal groups are isolated to prevent them from entering civilian communities.

The government expects to sign a final peace deal with the MILF by March.