Philippines

MILF declare new ceasefire

Article published on the 2009-07-26 Latest update 2009-07-26 15:01 TU

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has declared a new ceasefire in its long-running separatist war with the Manila government.

The MILF says that it called the ceasefire in response to the government's order to halt offensives and pave the way for peace talks.

The movement hase been waging a rebellion since 1978 on the southern island of Mindanao, which the rebels claim are the ancestral lands of what it calls the Bangsamoro people.

Peace negotiations broke down in August when the country's Supreme Court annulled a proposed deal between the government and rebels. Heavy fighting followed, leaving 300 people dead and 400,000 displaced.

Whether new talks are successful depends on the government's response to the MILF's demands for control of "ancestral lands", says analyst Benito Lim.

"One of the demands of the MILF, as with the rest of the other rebels in Mindanao, is that they should be given their own territory for them to govern themselves, although they will recognise that they are under the authority of the Philippine government," he told RFI.

The Philippine coastguard announced on Sunday that it had found 12 bombs in the toilets of a ferry in the centre of the country. They say that it is unclear whether they were meant to go off on the ferry or whether they were to be planted elsewhere.