Over 1,700 civilians killed or wounded in terror attacks in Philippines since 2000: Human Rights Watch

Members of the ASG and RSM are implicated in or have openly claimed responsibility for many of these attacks. ASG is an extremist Islamist group whose members broke away in the 1990s from the longstanding ethnic Moro insurgent groups based in the predominantly Muslim areas of the southern Philippines (“Moro” is a Philippine term for Muslim). RSM, a group composed of converts to Islam, is closely tied to ASG. The two groups purportedly aim to push Christians out from Mindanao and the Sulu islands and “restore” Islamic rule over the Philippines.

“Abu Sayyaf and Rajah Solaiman have committed crimes on a massive scale,” said Sifton. “They have intentionally bombed civilians, kidnapped ordinary workers and beheaded them, and extorted money from small businesses.”

Both ASG and RSM maintain links with current or former members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the violent Indonesian Islamist group responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings. Philippine government officials claim that elements of the longstanding Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have, over the last few years, provided sanctuary or assistance for ASG, RSM and JI members.

Since 2003, MILF and MNLF leaders appear to have largely cut ties with JI, condemned violence against civilians (and specifically ASG and RSM attacks), and provided active assistance to Philippine military forces in conducting operations against all three groups. The United States military is actively assisting in these operations.

Human Rights Watch said today that it remains likely that “rogue” MILF and MNLF commanders, and so-called “lost commands,” have continued to provide sanctuary and assistance to ASG, RSM and JI members at various times in the last several years.

Human Rights Watch urged the MILF and MNLF to continue condemning armed attacks on civilians by ASG, RSM and JI, and to continue working with authorities to apprehend those responsible for violent attacks.

“Moro leaders deserve credit for distancing themselves from armed groups that attack civilians,” said Sifton. “But they need to ensure that they are controlling their own members.”

Human Rights Watch said today that the government’s failure to prosecute suspects in attacks has contributed to a culture of conspiracy-theorizing in the Philippines, especially in the south. Skeptical Moro and other opposition political leaders have embraced allegations that the government itself has been responsible for bombings – claims which Human Rights Watch has seen no evidence to support. Human Rights Watch called on the Philippine Department of Justice to put prosecutions back on track and hold fair and public trials.

Human Rights Watch also called on the United States and other interested countries to provide assistance to ongoing peace negotiations between the Philippines government and Moro leaders, to help ensure that agreements between the Philippine government and MILF and MNLF are enduring and promote respect for human rights, including the protection of the civilian population.

“To end the bombings, kidnappings, and other violence, other governments have to pressure Philippine leaders – both in Manila and Mindanao – to put a greater emphasis on protecting civilian life,” Sifton said.

The multimedia report “Lives Destroyed: Attacks on Civilians in the Philippines” is available at: http://hrw.org/reports/2007/philippines0707/

For more of Human Rights Watch’s work on the Philippines, please visit:

http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=asia&c=philip

For more of Human Rights Watch’s work on terrorism, please visit:

http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=terrorism