COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A new group of Malaysian ceasefire monitors replaced the other day their compatriots in the international team overseeing the truce between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The Malaysian group, led by Maj. Gen Dato’ Mahdi Bin Yusof and First Admiral Haj Mohd Adib Bin Abdul Samad, immediately reported to their headquarters here after alighting from a Malaysian Air Force plane that flew them from Kuala Lumpur to the Awang Airport in nearby Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
Malaysia leads the international monitoring team, also composed of soldiers from Brunei and Libya, non-uniformed socio-economic experts from Japan, and conflict resolution experts from Norway and the European Union. The team has been helping enforce the ceasefire since late 2003.