It seemed that after years of violence and division, the government in Manilla had finally acknowledged that the Muslim Moro minority in Mindanao deserved a high degree of autonomy. In February Philippine President Benigno Aquino shared a platform with Murad Ebrahim, the chief of one of the rebel groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in a sign that a peace deal in which the Malaysian government played an important facilitating role was going to work. Negotiations were matched by a ceasefire. Yet six months on, violence has once more broken out and there are fears that this 40-year conflict is about to break out again. It is reported that at least 82,000 people have fled Zamboanga City. Yet a closer look at the fighting shows that the raid and hostage-taking was mounted by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), another rebel group that has at times disassociated itself from the peace process. The MNLF has protested that the final settlement of the agreement for a degree of Moro independence has been taking too long. Diplomats, however, point out that this particular rebel splinter group has been concerned at being marginalized in the negotiations. Its leaders seem not to appreciate that once there is a Moro-run regional government, the different shades of political opinion can be represented within it. To seek now at this delicate point in the talks with the central government to advance its cause with bloodshed and terror is totally inappropriate. Indeed there may be some who will suspect that the MNLF's bloody reappearance on the scene is designed to destroy the peace talks altogether and plunge Mindanao back into conflict and insecurity. It is one of the horrible realities of terrorist campaigns around the world that for some of the participants the imminent end of the conflict is greeted with feelings of dread. As in the UK's Northern Ireland, an entire generation can grow up steeped in the profession of violence. The terrorists know how to survive in a bloody world of insecurity. They have not a clue how they will function when they can no longer turn to their guns and bombs. Deeply disturbing though the resurgence of violence in Zamboanga in the last ten days may be, there are grounds for believing that it may be one final fling for the men of violence. As the Philippine security forces winkle out the last of the attackers and rescue their hostages, it is notable that President Benigno Aquino has been in the city for the last six days. Though he has not taken personal charge of the actual operations against the terrorists, his presence is clearly designed to demonstrate the seriousness with which he and his government take this breakdown in the peace process with the Moro Muslims. Once order has been restored to the area, Aquino is certain to renew contacts with the wider Moro community and its leaders to reassure them that this bloody resurgence of savagery is not going to be allowed to derail the peace process. If he is wise, the president may even seek to talk to the MNLF leadership and its members as well. There is evidence that some of the ordinary fighters were brought into Zamboanga believing that they were just taking part in a demonstration, not launching an all-out assault. Lives it seems have been thrown away by MNLF commanders in a cynical political ploy.
