Philippines: Bombing in southern Philippines kills ten July 31

Event

An explosion at a checkpoint outside of Lamitan (Basilan province) killed at least ten people and wounded one other person around 05:50 (local time) on Tuesday, July 31. The bomb detonated after militiamen manning the checkpoint flagged down a van for inspection. Casualties from the blast include a Filipino soldier, five militiamen, and four civilians.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as of 12:30. Recent intelligence reports of possible bomb attacks resulted in an increased security presence by soldiers and militiamen, including the erection of checkpoints in the region. The government is working to determine if the bombing was targeting the checkpoint or if it was detonated prematurely.

Context

Muslim separatists in southern Philippines, including on the island province of Basilan, have waged a decades-long campaign against the government that has left about 120,000 people dead since 1978. Four years ago, the government and the primary insurgent group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), agreed to a peace deal that would give self-rule to a region of southern Philippines in exchange for an end to violence. This deal did not involve splinter groups who wish to continue the conflict, such as the Abu Sayyaf terrorist organization, who have continued attacks against the government and civilians.

On July 26, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a peace agreement that would give increased autonomy to Muslims in a larger portion of the south.

Advice

As a reminder, some Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to southwest Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago (Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, and Basilan provinces) due to ongoing terrorist activity and regular clashes between the military and insurgent groups. Authorities advise against all but essential travel to the remainder of Mindanao and to the south of Cebu province, up to and including the municipalities of Dalaguete and Badian, due to the threat of terrorism.