25 killed in tribal war in Bukidnon

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Twenty-five people were killed and four wounded after Muslim and Lumad tribesmen clashed in a remote village in Bukidnon.

Several residents of Barangay Talakag fled their homes to escape the clan war, Armed Forces Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon said in a statement.

Habacon said the fierce gun battle between Lumad and Muslim tribes erupted at 5 a.m. yesterday, sending nearby villagers scampering for safety.

"Local leaders are trying to broker a negotiation to stop the bloody confrontation between the warring groups," he said.

Gunmen from the mountain-dwelling Lumad tribe raided a Muslim farming community in retaliation for the killing this month of two Lumad tribesmen, who were attacked as they tended their farms, said Capt. Jose Pabolonia, Southcom spokesman.

Local Muslim tribesmen were blamed for the shootings, he said.

"The clan war was triggered by a long-standing land dispute over the Lumad area," he said.

Earlier, two Lumads were also killed and another two wounded in an attack by another Lumad tribe in nearby Barangay Lapoc.

Ubaan Lumad tribesmen were tilling their farm when they attacked. No casualty was reported in the initial attack.

However, on their way home, they were fired upon by Lumino Lumad tribesmen, leaving two men killed and two wounded.

The military could not say if the attack was related to the clash between Lumad Amoran and Muslim Diamla tribesmen.

Initial investigation showed that the clash was reportedly triggered by a long-standing dispute over of a parcel of property allegedly claimed by a certain former ambassador Abdulkair Alonto.

Troops and militiamen in coordination with the Talakag town police have been deployed to prevent further hostility.

However, residents of Barangay Indulang refused to return to their homes for fear of being caught in the crossfire. — Roel Pareño