Datu Abdullah Sangki, Maguindanao del Sur – Residents of Barangay Tukanalugong have evacuated to safer areas following the killing of two minors by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday, April 1. The victims, identified as 13-year-old Mansey Sidik and 14-year-old Husain Kupli, were ambushed while riding a motorcycle to a farm within the barangay.
Reports reaching the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and the office of Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulrauf Abdul Macacua confirmed that the two were killed instantly in the attack. The victims were reportedly relatives of senior commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who have been supporting candidates under the MILF’s United Bangsamoro Justice Party for local and provincial positions.
In response to the incident, high-ranking officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have called on the Maguindanao del Sur Provincial Police Office and the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade to take immediate action. Authorities aim to prevent possible violent retaliation between the victims’ families and those responsible for the ambush, as fear grips the local community.
Chief Minister Macacua, who also chairs BARMM’s Regional Peace and Order Council, has requested a joint police and military investigation into the attack. His ministers in the 80-seat regional parliament have reiterated the urgency of resolving the case to maintain peace and stability in the area.
Meanwhile, MILF leaders in the province reported that the attack has forced residents to flee their homes out of fear that the violence could escalate into armed clashes between the victims’ relatives and the assailants. Local authorities are closely monitoring the situation as tensions remain high in the community.
The incident underscores ongoing security challenges in the region, particularly amid political alignments and affiliations in the lead-up to local elections. Authorities continue to appeal for calm as efforts to identify and apprehend the perpetrators move forward.