MANILA, Philippines - The leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday admitted one of its commanders Ameril Umbra Kato has become a headache for the Muslim rebel group.
MILF Central Committee Secretariat chairman Muhammad Ameen admitted they had difficulty dealing with the renegade commander.
Ameen also denied the MILF is now divided into several factions with the group of Kato, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) among them.
“Only Ameril Umbra Kato is presently posing a problem to the MILF leadership and the rest are loyal to the MILF under Al Haj Murad Ebrahim,” Ameen stated in the MILF website Luwaran.com.
Kato, for his part, declared he has split from the MILF.
Kato declared he would not return to the mainstream MILF, which has opened peace talks with the government and threatened to expel him after he led a mutiny in December.
Kato declared he would be forming a new group, which would be known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Front, composed mainly of the former BIFF that he organized in January, a month after he broke off from the main Muslim guerrilla force over differences with insurgent leaders.
“This is the true jihad, the true revolution,” Kato declared.
Kato, who has about 200 to 300 fighters according to his former comrades, did not give details about his combat force or say what steps he would take next.
Kato, who is in his late 60s, said he left MILF because his former group chose to “waste time” by deciding to negotiate with the government for expanded autonomy instead of waging a battle for an independent Muslim homeland that would liberate minority Muslims from crushing poverty and neglect.
“We’ve been going around and around wasting money and look where the peace talks have brought us,” Kato said. “The roots of the conflict have not been solved.”
Kato accused Murad and the MILF of betraying the Muslim cause by seeking autonomy instead of independence.
“They did that without consulting the Muslims. They cheated,” Kato said.
MILF spokesman Von Al Haq expressed relief that Kato finally has clearly indicated he wants to lead his own organization.
Al Haq, however, warned Kato “will be accountable for his actions, which will no longer have any bearing on the MILF.”
“It’s a process of elimination,” Al Haq said. “At the end of the day, all those who couldn’t hold firm on our basic principles fall on the wayside.”
The infighting within the main 11,000-strong MILF underscores the complexity of the Muslim unrest that has claimed more than 120,000 lives and stunted growth in Mindanao.
The MILF currently led by Murad Ebrahim split in 1978 from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which dropped its secessionist bid for autonomy and signed a landmark peace accord in 1996.
Former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari likened the current leadership crisis in the MILF to a sinking ship with its captain no longer able to steer in its right course.
According to Misuari, almost 75 percent of MILF combatants have already joined Kato and his group, citing the reports to him by MNLF secretary- general Ustadz Murshi Ibrahim.
Ameen, however, took exception to the Misuari’s statements.
“This is unfair comment and grossly exaggerated,” Ameen said.
He said Misuari should have verified his figure first before making such a sweeping statement.
Luwaran also reported Misuari had sent word to Kato for a possible meeting.
Government chief negotiator Marvic Leonen has expressed concern over frequent infighting within MILF, hoping that its leaders could show that they can control their men.
Malacañang also said it is leaving it up to the leadership of the MILF to resolve internal rifts before the resumption of peace negotiations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next week.
Cracks in the MILF began to show after two of its top commanders figured in several armed clashes that left14 combatants dead and thousands of villagers displaced. The two rebel commanders were contesting ownership of a 15-acre farmland in Datu Piang.
In order to contain the fighting, the MILF ordered one of the commanders, Adzme Kasim, to halt attacks against rival rebel commander Abunawas Ebad, belonging to Kato’s BIFF.
Security officials have accused Kato in the past of providing refuge to members of the militant Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf.
They include Usman Basit, who has been sought by US and Philippine authorities in connection with deadly bomb attacks. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Paolo Romero, Jose Rodel Clapano, AP