Philippine government, communist rebels agree to resume peace talks
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Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has offered an amnesty to several rebel groups to reopen peace talks with them.
PHOTO: AFP
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OSLO – The Philippine government and the country’s communist rebels have agreed to restart peace negotiations after a six-year hiatus, with the aim of ending decades of armed strife
“The parties agree to a principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict,” said a joint statement issued by both sides on Nov 23.
“The parties acknowledge the deep-rooted socioeconomic and political grievances and agree to come up with a framework that sets the priorities for the peace negotiation,” it said.
The bloody conflict between the Philippine government and the New People’s Army (NPA), the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has raged for over 50 years, leaving more than 40,000 people dead in its wake.
At its peak in the 1980s, the NPA boasted about 26,000 fighters, a number the military says has now dwindled to a few thousand.
Since 1986, successive Philippine administrations have held peace talks with the communists through their Netherlands-based political arm, the National Democratic Front (NDF).
High-ranking delegations from both sides last week agreed to a “common vision for peace” that sought to address key obstacles, which was revealed by Norway’s Foreign Ministry on Nov 28.
If negotiations succeed, the rebels will end their armed struggle and transform into a political movement, according to Norway, which has engaged the Philippines’ peace process for around 20 years.
Formal talks were last conducted in 2017 but were acrimoniously terminated by then President Rodrigo Duterte, whose bid to revive negotiations also failed.
The talks devolved into threats and recrimination, with Mr Duterte officially cutting the NDF off in 2017, declaring the group a terrorist organisation and accusing the NPA of killing police and soldiers while negotiations were underway.
Mr Duterte left office in mid-2022 and was replaced by Mr Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Mr Marcos last week issued an order granting amnesty to several rebel groups, including former members of the communist movement.
Under the amnesty order, rebels would be absolved of crimes they committed “in pursuit of political beliefs”. AFP, REUTERS
