Gunfights disrupt first day of Ramadan in Cotabato town

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Gunfights between two heavily armed Muslim groups marred the observance of the first day of Ramadan by villagers in Tugunan town in Cotabato.

Authorities said the hostilities erupted between two rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front factions – one led by Atang Abdulkarim and the other by Tutah Abdullah. Gunfights forced hundreds of residents in Barangay Macabual, including children and the elderly, to relocate to safer areas.

Officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao told reporters yesterday that BARMM chief minister Ahod Ebrahim dispatched emissaries to reposition the feuding groups away from each other and settle the conflict amicably.

The clashes reportedly flared up after one of the two groups opened fire at residents who had just emerged from a mosque after a nighttime prayer, killing Peli Abdulkarim and Nhords Samama.