News Analysis: Massive manhunt for mastermind of bloody Zamboanga siege

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government has ordered a massive manhunt for Nur Misuari, chairman and founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who has been pinpointed as the mastermind in the three-week siege of Zamboanga City that resulted in some 200 deaths and displacement of tens of thousands of residents.

A combined police and military operation is now ongoing in the province of Sulu, the southernmost tip of the Philippine archipelago, where Misuari and some of his armed followers are said to be hiding.

Earlier, a Zamboanga City regional trial court has ordered the arrest of Misuari, his trusted commanders and some 60 others charged with rebellion and violation of international humanitarian law. Aside from Misuari, most of the other co-accused are now in government custody.

The authorities said that after three weeks of intense fighting, 126 MNLF guerrillas were killed, an unknown number of them wounded, and 128 more were captured or surrendered. On the other hand, the military claimed 18 dead and more than 100 wounded while the police have suffered five dead and 114 injured. Some civilians and hostages were also killed.

The fighting displaced some 120,000 people and damaged properties worth millions of pesos. Some 10,000 houses were burned by the rebels.

Ariel Huesca, spokesman for the regional police command in Zamboanga City, said Misuari was actually among the fifth batch of suspects facing charges in connection with the attack on Zambonga City that started on September 9.

He said that with the fifth batch charged, the authorities have now brought rebellion and other cases against a total of 224 MNLF members and leaders in connection with the violence.

Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has expressed confidence that the cases filed against Misuari and his cohorts are based on evidence gathered and testimonies given by MNLF fighters who surrendered or were captured.

Misuari, a former professor of the University of the Philippines, organized the first Muslim rebellion in the Philippines in the early 1970s. In 1996, he signed a peace agreement with the government of then President Fidel V. Ramos and became chairman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), an autonomous entity which was created by the l996 peace accord.

When Misauri lost his bid for a new term in the ARMM in 2001, he mounted another rebellion in Mindanao during which they also took civilian hostages.

He escaped to neighboring Malaysia but was arrested and extradited to the Philippines on charge of rebellion. He was granted bail and acquitted for lack of evidence.

The Zamboanga siege occurred because Misuari was angry at the government of President Benigno Aquino which signed the framework agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which was formed by former MNLF commanders who abandoned Misuari, ironically for signing a peace accord with the government.

Feeling ignored by the Aquino government, Misuari revived his bid for an independent Muslim nation in Mindanao, called Bangsamoro Republik, and created his own Bangsamoro Armed Forces as commander-in-chief.

According to intelligence reports, under Misuari's plan, the Zamboanga raid was just the start of similar attacks by the MNLF on Christian-dominant cities and towns in Mindanao.

While the search for Misuari is on, the Philippine government has announced a massive rehabilitation program for Zamboanga City which was heavily devastated by the 21-day siege.

President Aquino has committed P6.1 billion ($150 million) in government funds for the rehabilitation of Zamboanga City.

Earlier, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has approved a $3-million emergency fund to help with the recovery of residents of Zamboanga City and nearby Basilan province affected by last month's fighting.  

The funds are allocated to UN agencies and the International Organization for Migrants "to enable them to quickly respond on the ground to provide life-saving assistance," UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Luiza Carvalho said in a statement.

"We are requesting $24 million for the overall humanitarian operation and the CERF funding gives us the resources to scale up the response to support government line departments and local authorities," she added.

The Japanese government has also announced a $2-million emergency grant aid to support relief and rehabilitation efforts in Zamboanga City.

In a statement, the Japanese Embassy in Manila said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the commitment to President Aquino during their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Brunei earlier this week.