Guardian: The Philippine government has signed a peace accord with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the culmination of years of negotiations and a significant political achievement for President Benigno Aquino III.
The deal grants largely Muslim areas of the southern Mindanao region greater political autonomy in exchange for an end to armed rebellion, but it will not end all violence in a part of the country long-plagued by lawlessness, poverty and Islamist insurgency.
Other insurgent groups have vowed to keep fighting for full independence. The region is also home to the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist network with international links that the Philippine army is fighting with American support.
Categories: Asia