Villagers panic as rival BIFF factions clash in Maguindanao

MAGUINDANAO - Two rival groups in the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters clashed on Monday in Shariff Saidona Mustapha town, sending villagers running for their lives.The groups of Ninio Ebrahim and Commander Bisaya are squabbling for control of areas whose residents they subject to collection of protection money on periodic basis.Local officials said they figured in running gunfights Sunday in Sitio Nanas, Barangay Pamalian in Shariff Saidona Mustapha town.The municipality is located in the second district of Maguindanao, where there is presence of the outlawed BIFF.Ebrahim belong to one of three factions in the BIFF, all using the black Islamic State flag as revolutionary banner.Captain Arvin Encinas, public affairs officer of the Army’s 6thInfantry Division, said soldiers had been deployed around the areas where the two groups figured in running firefights to prevent them from getting close to populated areas.The skirmishes on Sunday forced dozens of ethnic Maguindanaon families to scamper away.Barangay folks have reported that the hostilities exacted two fatalities on each side. We also heard of that from informants residing in the municipality but we can’t confirm yet as of this time, Encinas said Tuesday.Local officials and members of the Maguindanao provincial peace and order council are still trying to validate the actual number of BIFF bandits who perished in the hostilities.