ZAMBOANGA CITY, 9 July 2006 — The number of refugees in the southern province of Maguindanao continued to swell yesterday amid an uneasy truce between pro-government militiamen and separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, officials said yesterday.

Ruby Sahali, a regional chief of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), said at least 30,000 people have left their homes as sniping by the partisans persisted.

Sahali said that late on Friday, suspected MILF rebels from unknown location fired two mortars in the town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometers south of Manila. No one was hurt in the attack.

Mamasapano is adjacent to Shariff Aguak town, scene of fierce fighting between MILF men and supporters of Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan, which was triggered by a bomb attack against him.Ampatuan was unhurt but six others, including his nephew and some aides, were killed.

“The people continue to leave their homes because every now and then both parties are trading gunfires,” said Sahali. “There was no truce because they are still fighting in the area.”

Sahali said they have distributed medicines and relief goods to some 25,000 evacuees on Friday but they have not yet reached the 780 families trapped in the remote village of Tapikan.

Senior Superintendent Lumala Gunting, Maguindanao provincial police chief, decried the MILF rebels’ violation of the truce agreed upon earlier on Friday.

“I cannot get the logic,” he said. “We have just agreed in front of the international monitoring team and government negotiators regarding the no offensive movement and now they launch an attack.”

But MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu vehemently denied that his group was behind the mortar shelling in Mamasapano, adding that a third party might be behind the attack.

“I don’t know if this (attack) is part of a scenario or orchestrated by a third party,” he said, adding there should be an investigation before the MILF is blamed.

Fighting erupted on June 28 when MILF rebels allegedly fired at policemen and pro-government militiamen who were to serve arrest warrants against two rebel commanders suspected of masterminding a bomb attack against Ampatuan.

MILF leaders claimed they were forced to hit back only because Ampatuan’s militia attacked rebel positions in Shariff Aguak.

Unconfirmed casualties in the 11 days of clashes have reached more than 50 with both sides claiming to have the upper hand.

MILF leaders have warned the fighting could adversely affect ongoing peace talks, but government officials expressed confidence that the hostilities would not affect the negotiations. The separatist group has filed a protest against the police for allegedly violating a cease-fire agreement that requires government forces to coordinate with the rebel group about operations in MILF-occupied territories. (With a report from Deutsche Presse-Agentur)