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4September
MILF halts decommissioning, citing 'parallel and commensurate' commitment lag
- Sep 4, 2025
- Taher G. Solaiman
- HITS: 1677
In the statement, Iqbal explained that while the MILF remains "fully committed" to the decommissioning process as part of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the decision was made to "preserve the gains of the peace process." He emphasized that decommissioning is not a standalone issue but is one of eight "deliverables" under the CAB's normalization process.
These deliverables, Iqbal stressed, must proceed "parallel and commensurate" with one another.
"Truth is that the decommissioning is way, way ahead while the other elements are trailing badly," Iqbal said, specifically citing the disbandment of private armed groups, socioeconomic interventions for former combatants, and transitional justice and reconciliation (TJR) as being particularly behind schedule.
The normalization process, as outlined in the CAB, includes:
decommissioning of MILF weapons and combatants;
constitution of joint normalization mechanisms;
confidence-building measures;
socioeconomic interventions;
transitional justice and reconciliation (TJR);
disbandment of private armed groups;
policing, and
redeployment of government troops.
Iqbal stated that the MILF's decision to pause the process is intended to allow the government and the MILF to address these imbalances. He underscored the MILF's "serious moral responsibility" to comply with the agreement, calling it a "sin before Allah" to do otherwise. However, he maintained that this compliance must be "pursuant to the stipulation provided for in the Annex on Normalization: 'parallel and commensurate.'"
He also commented on the statements made by some Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) base commanders regarding the issue, noting that their remarks should be "appreciated" as a reflection of their unity with the MILF's commitment to the CAB and the decommissioning process.
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