https://www.the-american-interest.com/2017/05/24/duterte-declares-martial-law-in-mindanao/
He’s been threatening to do it for a long time, and today he finally did: Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law on Mindanao, as fighting heats up against Islamist militants on the Philippines’ second largest island. The Washington Post:
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in Moscow that martial law would be in effect on the entire island of Mindanao for 60 days.
The declaration of martial law was necessary “in order to suppress lawless violence and rebellion and for public safety,” Abella told reporters. “The government is in full control of the situation,” he added, but is “fully aware that the Maute/ISIS and similar groups have the capability, though limited, to disturb the peace.”
Lorenzana said martial law measures on Mindanao would include suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, the imposition of curfews and establishment of checkpoints.
Duterte’s order came after severe fighting in Marawi City, where Philippine troops were leading a raid to capture Isnilon Hapilon, the former Abu Sayyaf head who has emerged as the Islamic State’s head honcho in the Philippines. Hapilon has been working to unite disparate militant factions that have pledged loyalty to ISIS, including the Maute group formed in 2013 from members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). And he seems to have had some success: according to early reports, it is the Maute group that has been on the frontlines in Marawi City. Eyewitness accounts tell of Maute militants taking over buildings, torching a school and jail, and hoisting ISIS flags through the streets as they clash in firefights with army troops.
To be clear, then, the threat in Mindanao is certainly serious. Duterte’s declaration is already raising concerns about his authoritarian tendencies, but the wider context should be taken into account. Islamic State has been making troubling inroads in Mindanao in recent years, seeking to co-opt homegrown militant factions that have long roiled the island—and that should cause no less concern than Duterte’s excesses.
In any case, Duterte’s declaration happened at an interesting moment: the Philippine president was in Moscow at the time, seeking to capitalize on promises to re-orient his foreign policy toward Russia and acquire weapons that the U.S. had denied him on human rights grounds. One wonders if the Russians might offer further security cooperation to help Duterte with his terrorism problem—and if the Trump Administration, far less concerned about human rights and far more eager to court Duterte than Obama was, might do likewise.
