Pursuit of Peace

For an insurgent group, there are major advantages in pursuing peace. It is spared from military offensives. Its negotiators, who must be identified to the government, are immune from arrest.

Peace negotiations, however, do not stop the military from defensive operations, including the hot pursuit of any rebel who brings harm to anyone, whether soldier or civilian. A peace process is not supposed to stop the state from enforcing laws and protecting citizens from armed extortion, looting, and destruction of property. The government must keep this in mind as the two rebel groups with which the administration is exploring peace escalate their attacks on both military and civilian targets.

The peace process also doesn’t prevent the state from stopping the flow of weapons and funds to rebel groups. Those weapons can come from several sources. Military and police arsenals can be raided or weapons seized from soldiers and cops. There have been cases of soldiers and policemen themselves selling government-issued guns and ammunition to rebel groups. The gunsmiths of Danao in Cebu are also sources, although their products are of poor quality. Many news features have been published about the illegal gunsmiths of Danao. If journalists can find the gun makers, it shouldn’t be too hard for law enforcers to do the same.

Then there’s the funding. Maintaining a rebel army, especially one with families and other non-combatants in tow for use as human shields, requires a hefty amount of funds. They can’t subsist on camote forever; they need supplies for day-to-day survival. They need a lot of money for weapons and ammunition. How are the funds obtained? If they engage in criminal activities such as kidnapping, extortion and burning of private property to raise funds, they must be arrested.

Authorities can also scrutinize bank accounts, foundations and suspected shell corporations that might be used for rebel financing. A few years before the terrorist attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, the brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden operated a charity foundation in Mindanao through which funding was believed to have been channeled to the Abu Sayyaf.

There are many ways of fighting an insurgency other than the use of military force. A peace process can be pursued without sacrificing the duty of the government to enforce the law and keep the public safe.