By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – The third phase of decommissioning process began in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the southern Philippines on Tuesday .
“As part of the peace process in south(ern) Philippines, the public launch of the resumption of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) decommissioning was held today,” Türkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a brief Twitter statement.
The decommissioning and rehabilitation process of the MILF members is supervised by the Independent Decommissioning Body, which is chaired by Türkiye since 2014.
In 2018, a decades-long insurgency by the MILF led to peace negotiations with the Philippines government, and the BARMM was formed.
The regional government is run by Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA), led by Murad Ebrahim, who was elected as the first chief minister in February 2019 and reappointed in August this year for the second term until 2025 when the first elections are planned.
The mandate of the transitional authority was due to end this year, but the Philippines government has extended it until 2025 to allow Ebrahim and his team to achieve all targets, including decommissioning of former MILF fighters.
Ebrahim told Anadolu Agency in March that some 14,000 MILF fighters have laid down their weapons so far, and the national government has pledged to pay 1 million pesos (over $19,000) to each of them.