BUTIG, Lanao del Sur, 11 March 2008 — Tens of thousands of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels — some bearing high-powered weapons on board convoys of trucks and jeeps — converged in a remote Lanao del Sur town to discuss the slow progress and the danger of a possible collapse of the peace talks with Manila.

More than 100,000 rebels have gathered since Sunday in Butig, the site of the erstwhile Camp Bushra Somiorang.

“The meeting is aimed at educating all ranks of the MILF on the relevance of the peace talks and processes,” said Ahmad Lao, chair of the Media Committee of the conference.

The MILF, most of them in full battle gear, came from neighboring areas and as far away as Davao, North Cotabato and Sarangani. They arrived onboard trucks, jeeps, motorcycles, and vans.

Marawi residents waved green flaglets and chanted “Allahu Akbar!” as they passed. A number of city’s traffic police enforcers also escorted them until they reached the city’s boundary.

MILF members from the three Zamboanga provinces, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, and Lanao del Norte were briefly halted by soldiers when they reached Kapatagan town “to remind them that they ought not to display their high powered firearms” while on travel.

MILF members from the two Lanao provinces welcomed provincial delegates by lining up on the roadside in full-battle gear, the colors of their armbands signifying their battalion’s affiliation.

Even solders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) stationed in detachments along the highway to Butig also came out and waved their hands as the MILF convoy passed.

On Sunday, MILF Vice Chairman Aleem Abdulaziz S. Mimbantas officially welcomed the delegates to the conference whose theme is “One people, one struggle.”

MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim delivered his State of Jihad Address before participants yesterday, but details of the speech have not been given to the media.

Last month, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney met Ebrahim and discussed the peace process in Mindanao.

The US had in the past offered as much as $30 million to fund development projects in Muslim areas in the southern region should the MILF sign a peace agreement with Manila.

The prospect of resuming the stalled peace talks remains unknown and is further aggravated by protests and street rallies over accusations of corruptions and scandals in the government.

Mohammad Ameen, a senior rebel leader, previously said the MILF will only sign a peace deal with Manila if it establishes genuine governance for Muslims either in the form of a “state” or a “sub-state”.