By Edwin Fernandez

PEACEKEEPERS. Soldiers of the Army’s 90th Infantry Battalion, supported by an armored personnel carrier, arrive in Barangay Kilangan, Pagalungan, Maguindanao del Sur, on Wednesday (Oct. 30, 2024), following clashes that left at least 19 dead. Civilians fled as fighting erupted between two MILF factions around 1 p.m. (Photo courtesy of Jess Ali and Akmad Malumpong)

COTABATO CITY – At least 19 people died while five others sustained injuries after clashes erupted between two rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) groups over a land dispute in Pagalungan, Maguindanao del Sur on Wednesday afternoon.

The hostilities involved MILF commanders Alonto Sultan and Ikot Dandua, who have been contesting ownership of rice fields in Barangay Kilangan.

According to Vice Mayor Abdilla Mamasabulod, tensions escalated over about 300 hectares of land, triggering armed encounters.

“They are fighting for ownership of vast tracts of rice fields in the village,” Mamasabulod said in an interview Thursday, confirming the fatalities reported by local leaders.

Sultan claimed legal ownership of the land, presenting land titles to reporters in prior interviews, while Dandua maintained that his family inherited the fields from their ancestors.

Regional Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Roden Orbon said that military, police, and MILF ceasefire committee members intervened to halt the violence.

Soldiers from the 90th Infantry Battalion, with an armored carrier, were deployed to Kilangan as civilians evacuated the area. (PNA)