Former Muslim guerrillas are now governing a poverty and conflict-wracked Muslim autonomous region under a peace deal partly aimed at combating ISIS-aligned militants in the southern Philippines.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebel chairman Murad Ebrahim assumed leadership on Tuesday in a ceremony in Cotabato city of an 80-member transition authority dominated by his guerrilla group to govern a five-province region called Bangsamoro.
The first large group of about 12,000 combatants is expected to be demobilised starting this year under the deal.
The Philippine and western governments and the guerrillas view effective Muslim autonomy as an antidote to nearly half a century of Muslim secessionist violence, which ISIS exploited to gain a foothold in the region.
"Our enemy during this struggle is not the soldiers. Our enemy is not the government," Mr Murad said in a speech after taking leadership of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority as interim chief minister. He said he and his men would wage a new jihad, or holy war, against corruption and mismanagement.
"Our enemies are all the ills of governance in this system. Our enemies are graft and corruption. Our enemy is manipulation of government. Our enemy is nepotism," said Mr Murad, who once led rebel forces in marshy battlefields that his group will now try to turn into progressive communities.
Mr Murad and his insurgent group inherit a region of more than 3.7 million people, nearly half of whom wallow in poverty. Many have been exposed to decades of violence and fighting, according to regional government reports prepared for the rebels-turned-officials.
Muslim militant groups including the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Abu Sayyaf continue to threaten the region, the reports said.
Bangsamoro replaces an existing poverty stricken autonomous region with a larger, better-funded and more powerful entity. An annual grant, which could reach more than $1 billion, is to be set aside to bolster development in a region with little infrastructure that is deeply scarred by decades of fighting.
"There is a daunting task ahead as we lay down the foundations of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao," presidential adviser Carlito Galvez said. "I'll be frank, the transition process is difficult. But there is no challenge that we cannot surmount."
Under the peace deal brokered by Malaysia, the rebels gave up their goal of a separate state in exchange for broader autonomy. The 40,000 fighters and at least 7,000 firearms that Mr Murad's group has declared are to be demobilised in three phases, depending on progress in the agreement's enforcement.
Mr Murad's people, including fierce Muslim commanders still facing criminal cases for past attacks, are to comprise 41 of 80 regional administrators. President Rodrigo Duterte picked his representatives to fill the rest of the transition authority, which will also act as a regional parliament until regular officials are elected in 2022.
Members of another Muslim rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a 1996 autonomy deal that has largely been considered a failure, have also been given seats in the autonomous government.
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Company%20profile
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RESULT
Norway 1 Spain 1
Norway: King (90 4')
Spain: Niguez (47')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:
Crystal Palace 2
Milivojevic 76' (pen), Van Aanholt 88'
Huddersfield Town 0
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Company%20profile
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HAJJAN
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Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
Read more about the coronavirus
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)