Philippines: 34,000 new IDPs in southern provinces still unable to return
| Publisher | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 11 November 2011 |
| Cite as | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Philippines: 34,000 new IDPs in southern provinces still unable to return , 11 November 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4ebd1e6b2.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A total of nearly 34,000 people remained displaced on 9 November, almost three weeks after separate armed incidents in Basilan and Zambonga Sibugay Provinces had forced them to flee.
On 18 October, over 13,000 people fled intense fighting between rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine Armed Forces (AFP) near the town of Al-Barka on the island province of Basilan. They all sought refuge with relatives and friends, where they have also been provided with relief assistance by the government's Department of Social Welfare and Development.
On 22 October, almost 23,000 people were displaced from five different municipalities of Zambonga Sibugay when the AFP launched airstrikes against what it considered renegade MILF groups. Some 3,500 IDPs sought refuge in 11 evacuation centres, while 19,000 others opted to stay with friends and family. As of 9 November, the number of people in evacuation centres had fallen to 1,500.
Meanwhile, in Agusan del Norte in northern Mindanao, some 500 people fled their homes on 8 November due to military operations carried out by the AFP against suspected rebels of the communist New People's Army (NPA). Some of them were fleeing their homes for the fifth time this year. They took refuge in a nearby town hall, where they received food from the local authorities, or else stayed with relatives and friends.
