A surge in armed clashes and politically driven feuds in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has raised fears of election violence ahead of the region’s first parliamentary polls in October, according to independent monitoring group Boto Bangsamoro. The group points to Maguindanao del Sur, where clashes between rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front groups are taking place, as a particular hotspot. The latest incident occurred on August 10, when three fighters from the 128th Base Command were gunned down in Shariff Saydona Mustapha town, allegedly by members of the rival 118th Base Command over a land dispute. Repeated efforts at reconciliation have failed to stop the cycle of violence, with retaliatory attacks and killings continuing to escalate. Boto Bangsamoro warns that the violence shows deeper problems with the fragile peace process and that the lack of progress in decommissioning weapons could see armed groups exploited for political purposes. The group calls on the Commission on Elections and state security forces to enforce the gun ban strictly, protect schools and polling sites, and conduct credible inspections at checkpoints, and urges the national government and foreign donors to strengthen verification of decommissioning and support long-term mediation to prevent election violence.
