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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 25 July 2018

Philippine rebel chief: 30,000 rebels to be disarmed in deal

By JIM GOMEZ the rebels' large combat
MANILA, Philippines (AP) force, welcomed the rati-
— The leader of the largest fication by the House of
Muslim rebel group in the Representatives on Tues-
Philippines said Tuesday day of the Muslim auton-
that 30,000 to 40,000 armed omy deal after a one-day
fighters would be "decom- delay caused by a chaotic
missioned" if an autonomy leadership change in Con-
deal that is expected to gress. The legislation, which
be signed into law by the was ratified by the Senate
president this week is fully on Monday, is to be sent to
enforced. President Rodrigo Duterte
Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, for signing in a day or two.
chairman of the Moro Is- The bill seeks to replace
lamic Liberation Front, said an existing poverty- and
six of the largest guerrilla conflict-wracked autono-
camps in the south were mous region with a poten-
already being converted tially larger, better-funded
into "productive civilian and more powerful region
communities" to help the named Bangsamoro for mi-
insurgents return to normal nority Muslims in the south-
life. ern third of the largely Ro-
Clad in a business suit, Mu- man Catholic nation.
rad appealed to the in- The autonomy deal is the
ternational community to Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, answers questions during latest significant attempt
contribute to a trust fund forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines in Manila, Philippines on by the government to ne-
to be used to finance the Tuesday July 24, 2018. gotiate an end to nearly
insurgents' transition from Associated Press half a century of on-and-off
decades of waging one of Muslim fighting that has left
Asia's longest rebellions. ference in Manila. He said declined to immediately The military has put the more than 120,000 people
"We will decommission our his guerrilla group has told cite the number of weap- Moro rebel group's size at a dead and hampered de-
forces, the entire forces," the government how many ons that "will be put be- much lower 11,000 fighters. velopment in the country's
Murad said at a news con- fighters it has, although he yond use." Murad, who used to head poorest regions.q