‘MILF cut ties with international terror groups’

MANILA, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has taken steps to cut ties with international terrorist groups, chief government negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer has said.

Ferrer said the MILF has also supported government efforts to crush criminal syndicates in Mindanao.

“There is unprecedented opportunity to quell terrorism and crime with the success of a political process with a major player, as in the case of peace negotiations with the MILF. Without this flank, the job would be much more difficult and deadly,” Ferrer told an international forum organized by the United Nations Inter-Regional Crime and Justice Research Institute and the Thailand Institute of Justice in Bangkok recently.

She said efforts to draw in the MILF toward the peace process must continue, noting that the rebels would be “the most effective ally to serve as buffer if not counterforce to the seamless operations of criminal and terrorist groups.” 

“The nexus of crime and terrorism plus insurgency is inevitable. (They share the) same space, kinship ties, cultural affinity and historical and ideological links,” she said. “The peace process has progressed. It serves as a counterpole to violent movements.”