ZAMBOANGA CITY: Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels helping Philippine authorities track down a kidnapped Irish priest have mounted an operation Tuesday to rescue the hostage in the hinterlands of Mindanao.
Father Michael Sinnott was taken at gunpoint on Oct. 11 from his home in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province and brought to Lanao del Sur.
“We are preparing to rescue Father Sinnott,” said Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, which is currently holding peace talks with Manila.
The rescue operation coincided with reports that Sinnott’s Missionary Society of St. Columban has opened negotiations with the kidnappers for the safe release of the hostage.
Meanwhile, the MILF signed a new accord with Manila to ensure the safety of civilians in the conflict-torn Mindanao region.
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief peace negotiator, said Agreement on Civilian Protection was signed Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur. “This historic agreement pushed further the GRP-MILF Peace Talks to formal resumption,” he said.
President Gloria Arroyo opened up peace talks with the MILF in 2001 in an effort to end a decades-old bloody secessionist war in the mineral-rich region of Mindanao, south of the Philippines.
“After a hard and prolonged discussion, the MILF and Philippine government peace negotiators finally signed the Agreement on Civilian Protection,” Iqbal said.
