19,345 MILF men decommissioned since 2016
MANILA, Philippines — More than 19,000 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters have returned to civilian life under the decommissioning process of the government since 2016, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said yesterday.
In a statement, OPAPRU assistant secretary Wilben Mayor said 19,345 MILF fighters were decommissioned under Phases 1 to 3 of the decommissioning process.
The decommissioning serves as a transition for the 40,000 members of the MILF’s armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, into civilian life.
The process started in 2019, the same year the Bangsamoro Organic Law was ratified, and is being implemented in four phases.
The initial decommissioning came a year after the government and the MILF inked the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, under which the parties agreed to establish an autonomous Bangsamoro region.
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