Project Background
In November 2005, NP’s IGC mandated the deployment of a team of 5 International Civilian Peacekeepers (ICPs) for a period of 18 months in Mindanao. In August 2006, NP’s Advance Team led by the designated Project Director Atif Hameed transformed the context of the project through detailed consultations in the Philippines. An Advisory Board of locals was initiated and six potential field sites were identified for setting up offices. Potential activities derived from NP’s mandate were also suggested for the Project. Since then, several important political developments have taken place in Mindanao that have a bearing upon NP’s work.

The NP Philippines Project was officially launched on May 1st, 2007. After an In-Country Training of one month in the main office in Cotabato City, the ICPs have been assigned to two field sites as per the priority list of the Advance Team Report. Currently, both field offices in Central Mindanao and Sulu are operational. Altogether the project currently has 6 international and 11 national/local staff.

The IGC approved a project expansion proposal during the Nairobi Conference in September 2007 and endorsed to increase the international staff from 5 to up to 29 for a period of 3 to 4 years as necessary funds become available.

Conflict Situation
Upsurgent groups formed within the Muslim population that became a minority in Mindanao in the last century are fighting for autonomy and self-determination in the otherwise widely Christian Republic of the Philippines.

The main guerrilla, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), that launched Moro Liberation struggle in early 1970s signed a peace treaty (“Final Peace Agreement”) with the Philippine government (GRP) in 1996. Today they are part of the governments in the provinces forming the “Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao” (ARMM). The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that had split off in1977 from the MNLF and formally recognized in 1984, continued the fighting and entered into formal peace talks with GRP in Jan 1997. Ceasefire agreements and peace negotiations between GRP and MILF broke down several times. In July 2003, the government signed a new ceasefire with MILF ahead of talks in Malaysia and erected mechanisms and structures for the monitoring of the cease-fire.

The peace talks between GRP and MILF suffered from impasse on several occasions and have recently again been stalled on consensus points agreement on ancestral domain issue. Recently, a much awaited tripartite meeting between GRP-OIC-MNLF was held in Jeddah Saudi Arabia in the month of November 2007 to review the implementation of 1996 Peace agreement but the Follow up Tripartite meeting could not take place which was planned on January 2008 . However, tensions between the three parties have led several times to (regionally contained) armed confrontations in main land Mindanao and Sulu/Basilan region where also other more radical small groups (like Abu Sayyaf) are active. Despite of the prevailing uncertain situation of peace process’s, the civil society organizations are making genuine efforts in mobilizing all parties in the Mindanao conflict to move forward with the “Gains of the Peace Processes”.

Project Mandate and Objectives

Mandate as approved by the IGC

• To enhance the scope and quality of locally based people’s organisations and peace/human rights advocates.
• To reduce the incidence of violence in the vicinity of NP field sites through means of unarmed international civilian peacekeeping and thereby aiding in the maintenance of the ceasefire(s).
• To support human rights reporting mechanisms in remote conflict areas and assist/connect local and international advocacy groups that work for peace with justice by responding to people’s grievances.
• To localise grassroots conflicts so that they are resolved through dialogue at the lowest level and do not snowball into larger crises.

Specific Objectives

• To organize an in-country-training (ICT) to give orientation to ICPs about the peace process, political situation, stakeholders in the peace process and NP operational dynamics.
• To operationalize the NP main office, identify a location of the Central Mindanao office in the Datu Saudi and Datu Piang area and commence with the civilian peace keeping work.
• To conduct further assessment of the situation in Sulu in order to make a final decision if to put up a full time operational office in Sulu.
• To formally define the role of the Advisory Board and make it functional, and gradually establish Advisory Bodies in the field site offices.
• To hire local staff for NP main office and field offices
• To establish collaborative working relationships with partner organizations at the field site and main office level and gradually start peace keeping work within the framework of the NP Mandate.
• To secure recognition and acceptance from all the key parties in the conflict i.e. Government of the Philippines -GRP (AFP, OPAPP, DFA, DND, NSC, PNP, CCCH), MILF (Central Committee, BIAF, CCCH, Peace Panel), MNLF (Chairman, Central Committee, Commanders), LGUs (Governor, Mayors, Barangay Captains) and the International Monitoring Team.
• To attain greater legitimacy from communities and local leaders (social, political, religious and youth groups)
• To consolidate relations with INGOs, IOs, International agencies, Embassies and donors to secure support for the project both financially and politically.

Activities to Achieve the Specific Objectives

In country Training (ICT)
The ICT was organized in the NP main office in Cotabato to make the office operational and known to all the key players in the peace process. Representatives of GRP, MILF, MNLF, civil society partners and intelligentsia were invited in NP office as resource persons to give orientation to ICPs about their group, mandate and work. The ICT was designed by the Project Director in consultation with the Programme Director, Communication Officer and key partners of the project. In the training ICPs were informed on the history of the Mindanao conflict, key parties involved in it, the role of civil society and their programme activities, NP’s operational procedures (including security issues) and planned programmatic activities, high and low profile field visits and first aid training. The schedule of the ICT programme is attached.

Advisory Board & Bodies
The NP Mindanao project has set a new precedent in the region by establishing the Advisory Board at Mindanao level and additional advisory bodies at each field site level, comprised of prominent civil society activists, representatives of NP partners, activists, community leaders and grassroots representatives, women and youth groups. The Advisory Board and advisory bodies have been involved in the design, implementation and maintaining the sustainability of the project.

The first meeting of the Advisory Board took place on 21st of May 2007 and unanimously following role was accorded to the advisory board.

Final List of Agreed Functions of the Advisory Board:

• to give advise on plans and strategies
• to get feed-back on actual activity
• consultative body
• to act as a conferential or collegial body
• to recommend new issues and areas to cover.
• to review activities
• to operate on the basis of consensus in giving recommendations
• to give mutual moral support

Communication: E-group 'NP Mindanao', np-mindanao@npogroups.org (to be activated shortly). There will be continuous exchanges between Board and NP staff via phone, SMS and Email. Relevant information about events on the ground will be shared by whoever comes to know first.

Frequency of Meetings: The Board will meet once every three months.

The second Advisory Board meeting took place after three months in the month of September 2007, and elaborative planning sessions took place to further deepen the areas of collaboration. All the board members appreciated NP contributions during the Basilan crisis and some of the board members said, “We witnessed that NP teams managed to go deep into areas during crisis times where it is impossible for locals to go.” The Board members appreciated NP’s unique style of promoting accountability to local civil society and extended full fledged support through their point people at the grassroots and higher levels for NP’s work in Mindanao. The lead convenor of Mindanao Peace Weavers (MPW), the network of civil society networks, commented that NP’s Advisory Board will help to consolidate the various streams of civil society in Mindanao.

After the decision to set up a NP field office in Jolo, Sulu, a formal Advisory Body was established on the same patterns as the Advisory Board at the Mindanao level to extend more legitimacy and acceptance to NP work in Sulu and build the capacities of local CSOs in civilian peace keeping work.

In NP Elian/Dapiawan field office, a core group of trusted local partner representatives has been formed and is associating with the team’s daily activities and plans as an informal advisory body.

The Other Specific Objectives were achieved through multiple and parallel efforts made by NP Main and Field offices.

NP Main office
The NP Main office in Cotabato city is comprised of the Project Director, a Communications Officer and an Administrative and Finance Officer. The office regularly shares updates from the field with the ceasefire coordinating mechanisms of the Government of Philippines, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the International Monitoring Team, local civil society partners at the advisory board level and key trusted international agencies and embassies. The purpose of these interactions is to strengthen the working relationships, both at headquarters level and the field level. At the same time, the NP main office is also in constant touch with political leaders of the main parties to the conflict in Central and Western Mindanao, including the Moro National Liberation Front and Local Government Units.

To deepen the legitimacy and acceptability of NP, the main office established credible working relationships with different arms of the Philippine government such as the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the Department of National Defence, the National Security Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

The NP Main office supported the developing field offices in Central Mindanao and Sulu through the in-country training to our staff), direct participation in the field, logistical back-up, negotiating with key actors relevant to the field sites, devising a communication strategy and guiding the overall progress of the field offices in accordance with NP’s mandate, working procedures and code of conduct. The main office performed as a link between the Advisory Board, its offshoot bodies and the NP field offices. It is also the link between the NP Mindanao Project and NP International.

The Project Director provided a series of trainings to ICPs and local staff on Systems of Early Warning Early Response (EWER) through Community Intervention, and oriented NP partners, key authorities in GRP MILF CCCH and IMT. All parties extended full support to the early warning programme. One of the key partner think tank NGO which is well recognized is going to organize a conference on Early Warning in the last week of Feburary 2008 in collaboration with NP and is inviting all the leadership of GRP, MILF, IMT, CSOs and donors to officially support such programme. EWER through Community Intervention is a grassroots structure connected with higher ladders of Ceasefire Mechanism to analyse the critical scenarios in conflict affected/prone communities through Daily Situation Assessment Tools and provide advance warnings to groups working on ceasefire mechanism and civilian protection issues. Its intention is to proactively prevent or control vulnerable scenarios through well coordinated efforts before it leads to generate violence. NP Mindanao project in collaboration with key partners has already started identifying and training individuals/peace monitors on EWER through Community Intervention in each barangay (lowest administrative unit) up to Municipality level in critical areas fall within NP field sites. Gradually, as the EWER structure gets established, local peace monitors at lowest community level would be well trained and systematically connected with CSOs working for peace and human rights issues, ceasefire structures and local government units to maintain peace in their respective areas.

The main office also almost became a field office by means of collaborating with all the civil society organisations based in Cotabato city and participating in their forums. It also visits conflict-prone areas in its vicinity, and receives a lot of complaints of human rights violations and other violent acts. The volume of such cases have increased gradually as more people came to know about NP and its mission. NP receives requests four or five times in a week to cover more areas from civil society actors, ceasefire monitors and communities.

The main office pursued follow-ups with key potential donors within and outside the Philippines, including occasional personal meetings to raise their interest in NP. Several proposals (written in consultation with the NP Brussels office and the Programme Director) and regular updates from the field have been submitted to them.

Central Mindanao Office:
For Central Mindanao , a precise location for opening the field office was eventually identified in the community of Barangay Elian/ Dapiawan (Datu Saudi Ampatuan) on the basis of its match with NP’s mandate. Much ground work had to be done to secure the consent of all parties to the conflict, the local communities, traditional leaders etc. Although the civil society, the communities and most of the stakeholders welcome NP’s presence in this location, some difficult challenges arose from the ranks of MILF ground commanders and the mayor of one of the considered municipalities. The ICP team and the main office worked together to address the concerns raised by the above mentioned actors. The field office is situated in a critical spot very close to a border line between AFP and MILF troops. The Central Mindanao team covers the critical locations in the municipalities of Datu Saudi, Datu Piang, Midsayap and parts of Mamasapano municipality.

The Central Mindanao ICP team was introduced to ground-level commanders of all sides, ceasefire structures, local government officials, community-based organisations and ordinary civilians in and around the specific office location. Besides building relationships, the ICP team conducted a conflict analysis and mapping of other vulnerable areas with a history of violence in the vicinity of the field office location. After an exhaustive and thorough phase of exploration and relationship building with all the actors in remote areas of Central Mindanao, NP finally occupied the Central Mindanao field offices premises in the month of October 2007. NP ICPs and local staff who were hired after careful assessment directly participated in renovating the community standard field office.

A core group (in the form of an Informal Advisory Body) of trusted local partner representatives has already been formed and is associating with the team’s daily activities and plans. Local translators and facilitators who can increase the profile of NP in the communities were hired. After laborious brainstorming and learning from the field, the team with the guidance of the main office determined entry points or key civilian protection issues to which it can respond in the short and long runs with appropriate strategies.

The NP Central Mindanao Team (CMT) has performed the following range of activities.

• They efficiently controlled rumours in numerous occasions in last five months in the municipal areas of Datu Piang and Datu Saudi that could have escalated the tensions between AFP and MILF .
• On the request of local partners and GRP – MILF JCCCH monitored the situation in critical areas.
• The CMT along with the main office and CBCS started a system of early warning and early response through community intervention work in two areas in Datu Piang municipality.
• The team provided support to local peacemakers who mediated in one clan conflict that implicated commanders of larger political outfits. This particular problem caused internally displacement of civilian and the ICP team regularly visited IDPs along with local partner organisations.
• The team participated as an observer in a newly established mediating body resolving a clan conflict between two armed commanders.
• It maintained continuous conscious presence in the field and supported the work of local peace teams and ceasefire mechanism structures at the grassroots level to prevent the outbreak of violence.
• The CMT has continuously been used by local partners and community based groups for training and awareness-building on human rights and peace building work. In average 4 to 5 trainings/workshops a month take place in the compound of the NP field office.
• The NP main office facilitated for the CMT to be part of a local joint ceasefire monitoring post in a newly established location along with representatives of GRP MILF and Bantay Ceasefire. NP team stays/visit the post on random basis as according to the situation. As the situation will improve, NP team will pay occasional visits to the post.
• NP premises are being used 3 to 4 times in a month as a dialogue place by local communities.
• CMT with the support of main office established credible relationships with local authorities, AFP and MILF commanders.
• CMT linked IDPs to the agencies providing relief supplies.

Sulu Team
After the ICT, the mandate of the Sulu ICP team was to further explore the possibilities of setting up a field office in Jolo, while taking into account the security considerations. Sulu has a very high concentration of armed actors, ranging from the Armed Forces of Philippines, US Marines and MNLF to “lawless elements.” The frequency of military operations and armed skirmishes is also high. Australia is planning to deploy its troops to assist the US ‘war on terrorism’ in Sulu. Since the island is totally isolated from mainland Mindanao and the outside world, communities and civil society activists has been eager for NP to open a field office with continuous presence of ICPs.

The Sulu team in coordination with the main office has built relationships on the ground with top leaders of all parties to the conflict. Given the primacy of the AFP as the main actor on the government side, the team developed cordial and positive working ties with army officer corps at the middle and higher levels. The team stayed in touch with the MNLF leadership at the provincial level, bolstering NP’s already well-established connections with its top leadership. In coordination with the main office, the team addressed concerns raised by some actors about an NP field office in Jolo.

The team consulted with Sulu-based civil society partners and international organisations on ways and means for an organisation like NP to be effective through conscious presence. They facilitated the entry of the ICP team to conflict-affected communities in Jolo and neighbouring municipalities. The team examined issues and areas where NP could have an impact and also worked on a viable means of communication with the main office.

One of the key objectives of the ICP team was to probe into the security risks and the hurdles posed by the prospect of opening a field office in Jolo. The strategy employed was to begin with random presence of spells of approximately one week to 20 days in Sulu. The team was accompanied by NP main office staff on these visits to enable them to better understand how NP’s mandate is implemented on the ground. The plan was to progressively test the impact of this random presence and to make a final decision on the opening of an office after careful deliberation.

In a nutshell, NP got security related clearance from all the authorities in Sulu and managed to move into Sulu and adjacent areas without being required to accept any escort from armed forces of Philippines (as first was suggested by the AFP). The partner organizations in Sulu extended their deep gratitude to NP in coming and staying in solidarity with them during the fire fights in Sulu between ASG & AFP in August / September 2007. The local groups working on human rights issues introduced NP to children and adults who were direct victims of human rights abuses. According to one key human rights activist, “I and my group feel more safe and confident in NP presence to work on human rights violation cases of arbitrary detention, beheadings, harassment, tortures, etc”. The above mentioned quoted person and his group consisting of in their majority female activists are getting direct threats from armed groups, especially from the AFP.

NP Sulu team in consultation with the NP main office performed following activities after setting up the an office in Jolo, Sulu in early November 2007.

• Consolidating the work of local human rights groups and activists by participating in their meetings, forums and connecting them with other groups and international agencies.
• Accompanied Human Rights groups/activist/lawyers to victims of armed clashes and their families.
• Gradually establishing a desk for human rights abuses cases in collaboration with CSOs working on HR issues and gradually it will be connected wthith Human Rights Comission. So far now, there is no human rights desk in Sulu where victims or their families report the cases.
• Visited IDPs camps in isolated areas which were facing threats from AFP & Abu Sayyaf (ASG).
• In coordination with the main office, launched a Sulu based Advisory Body comprised of local peace, human rights groups/activist and have meetings on monthly basis.
• Maintaining links with the office of the Governor, Mayor and Commanders of AFP and MNLF.
• Providing a forum for loosely connected CSOs to meet on regular basis.
• Maintained conscious presence along with local partners in some critical areas.
• Participated in forums/workshops organized by partners on Human Security Act, Human Rights issues, Conflict Settlement, etc.
• Accompanying peace rallies and walks in Jolo organized by CSOs.
• Conducted initial ground work along with partners to set up a system of early warning and early response through community intervention.

Presence in Basilan.
During the assessment period in Sulu, the sudden outbreak of violence between the armed forces of GRP and MILF on 10th of July in the island of Basilan reminded of the high probability of a new all-out war between GRP and MILF forces in Mindanao. In that critical moment of time with a rapid surge of armed troops in Basilan by both parties, while Basilan not being in the fold of the Ceasefire Mechanism structure and without any international presence, NP was requested by all partner organizations to send its team there to maintain conscious international presence and to consolidate the role of CSOs. After careful considerations and consultations with all the partners, authorities and Basilan based CSOs, the NP Sulu team along with the Project Director and Communication Officer went to Basilan. The NP team along with local partners met local authorities like Mayors, Barangay Captains, Municipal Councillors, Community Based Organizations and conflict affected communities. The team established daily contacts with the Commander of Task Force Thunder in Basilan and provided regular updates to GRP – MILF CCCH and partner CSOs. The team along with local partners visited evacuees’ camps especially the one’s which were isolated and situated close to the conflict affected ghost areas. NP team relayed the genuine concerns of evacuees to relevant civilian/military authorities and concerned national and international organizations. The team paid continuous visits to the communities who were ready to leave their respective barangays in case of eruption of fight between GRP and MILF forces. It actively participated in a series of Basilan Based CSOs meetings to devise strategies and action plan regarding civilian protection and other human security issues.

The NP team accompanied the Peace Rally/Caravan organized by members of the CSOs in the municipality affected by violence and situated on the border of conflict area. The rally was attended by the Mayor, members of civil society, Barangay Captains, school children and prominent people to show their commitment to peace and their demand for peaceful resolution of the Basilan crisis. The national media covered the peace rally and a short interview was given to the media because of their insistence on knowing about NP’s presence at the rally. In the brief interview, the Project Director explained the reason of NP’s presence in Basilan and shared the NP mandate. Later in the evening, the rally was broadcasted on national TV news and NP was prominently featured in the bulletin.

The CSOs and Ceasefire Mechanism structure appreciated NP international conscious presence in Basilan during the height of crisis. According to one prominent Advisory Board Member, NP contributed along with others to prevent the escalation of war in Basilan and other areas of mainland Mindanao.

Currently, the NP Sulu team in coordination with the main office maintains an ‘on and off’ presence in Basilan on the request of local groups, CSOs and partner NGOs in Mindanao. One of NP project key partner network CBCS invited NP to be in the steering committee of newly established Basilan Task Force comprised of CSOs representatives and local government units. NP was invited by the Chairman of GRP CCCH to join the newly planned mobile Joint Monitoring Assistance Team in Basilan.

Linking to the key stakeholders
Overall, NP’s Mindanao project team has been in regular contact with the leadership of key stakeholders involved in the Mindanao peace processes. All of them welcomed the NP project in Mindanao and assured support from their respective sides..

Abbreviations

AFP - Armed Forces of Philippines
ARMM - Autonomous Regions of Muslim Mindanao
ASG - Abu Sayyaf Group
BIAF - Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces
CBCS - Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society
CCCH - Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities
CIDA - Canadian International Development Agency
CMT - Central Mindanao Team
CSOs - Civil Society Organizations
CVO -Civilian Volunteer Organization (Paramilitray)
DFA - Department of Foreign Affairs
DND - Department of National Defence
EC - European Commission
EWER - Early Warning and Early Response
GRP - Government Republic of Philippines
GTZ - German Technical Services
IAG - Institute for Autonomy and Governance
ICP - International Civilian Peacekeeper
ICT - In Country Training
IDPs - Internally Displaced Persons
IGC - International Governing Council
IMT - International Monitoring Team
INGOs - International Non Governmental Organizations
IOs - International Organizations
JCCCH - Joint Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities
JCMP - Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Post
JICA - Japanese International Cooperation Agency
JI - Jammah Islamiah
JMAT - Joint Monitoring Assistance Team
LGUs - Local Government Units
MILF - Moro Islamic Liberation Front
MNLF - Moro National Liberation Front
MPC - Mindanao People’s Caucus
NP - Nonviolent Peaceforce
NSC - National Security Council
OPAPP - Office of Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process
PNP - Philippine National Police
UK GOF - United Kingdom Global Opportunities Fund
WFP - World Food Programme

Written by Atif Hameed