17-year clan feud ends in amicable settlement
LAMITAN CITY, Basilan (MindaNews / 23 January) – The armed feud between two groups that claimed the lives of 20 men and involved 26 families over a span of 17 years came to an end with the signing of an Amicable Settlement Agreement on 19 January at the Ra’ayat Hall of the new Provincial Capitol in Barangay Sta. Clara, this city.
It was a three-party agreement. The first two parties were Tanad Yunus and Arasad Addala, both Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commanders in Hadji Mohammad Ajul town. The third party was composed of representatives of families who had themselves been drawn into the feud as both victims and perpetrators, represented by Hji. Gani Tiblani, Ustadz Haisam Awal, and Mr. Mudsrin Kadir.
Their collective signatures marked the end of one of Basilan’s longest running clan feuds (pagbanta), underscoring that reconciliation was not only between two armed groups but also a community-wide commitment to peace. It was a pact of commanders and kin alike, binding those most affected by the conflict to a future without retaliation.
“The signing of the agreement marked the resolution of one of Basilan’s longest-running pagbanta (clan wars),” Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman said, noting this feud had divided communities, displaced families, and disrupted development in the said municipality and impacting even in the towns of Al-Barka and Tuburan. He signed the document as one of the witnesses to the agreement.
A Moment of Catharsis
About 500 individuals from both sides of the parties-in-conflict came to witness the signing of the amicable settlement agreement. Security at the Provincial Capitol, where the pagsusulut ceremony was held, was tight. Every person entering the capitol building was bodily searched to ensure that no firearms were brought inside.
The atmosphere was not tense, but anticipatory; a collective sense that the resolution of the conflict was imminent.
Indeed, as previously mediated, Commanders Tanad and Arasad and representatives of families involved in the pagbanta, signed the agreement. After it was signed, the two commanders embraced each other. Then, without announcement, members of the two groups formed two lines at opposite sides of the stage and moved toward each other. They hugged in the Muslim way, kissing each other’s cheeks in a tight embrace of brothers and sisters.
There was palpable joy inside the Ra’ayat Hall at that moment, a release of years of anger and hatred. One conflict mediator said, “This is how a moment of freedom looks and feels like: a community finally unburdened from the weight of a 17-year feud.”
Two women, each from opposite sides of the conflict, were among those who reached out to one another and reconciled. They embraced and they cried.
“Masayang-masaya ako na naresolve na itong pagbanta dahil mga anak ko yung kasali (I’m really happy that this threat has been resolved because my children were involved.),” said Biang Asmali, 58. “Ngayon, pwede na silang mag-aral muli (Now they can go back to school.),” she added.
Asmali, who finds her family on the side of the Yunus group, hoped that the government will help them so that the pagbanta will not re-occur.
The same feeling was shared by Haironuka Tiblani Habi, 52, the woman whom Asmali tighly embraced. “Sobrang saya ko (I’m really happy.), she said. “Nawala ang takot (I don’t feel scared anymore.), Habi added.
Habi, who belongs to the Addala side of the conflict, recalled how the pagbanta had reduced their mobility, reducing them to the confines of their village where they felt protected. “Ngayon, pwede na kaming pumunta kahit saan na hindi natatakot at makapagtrabaho nang maayos (We can go anywhere now without fear and attend to our livelihood.),” she said.
The Amicable Settlement Agreement signed on January 19, 2026, laid down clear commitments to ensure that the cycle of violence would not return.
Key Provisions of the Settlement
At its heart was the pledge of all parties to immediately cease hostilities, renouncing retaliation and armed confrontation in Hadji Mohammad Ajul and surrounding areas. Article I of the agreement emphasized that no individual or group should engage in actions that might rekindle conflict, with violations subject to investigation and law enforcement action.
Article II focused on cooperation with authorities. The signatories agreed to work closely with the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and local government units in maintaining peace and order. They committed to sharing information that could help identify those responsible for past violence and affirmed their respect for due process in resolving pending cases.
Beyond ending the fighting, the pact sought to heal communities. Article III of the agreement required participation in reconciliation programs led by religious leaders, civil society, and the Municipal Peace and Order Council, while also promising government assistance for affected families through livelihood, housing, and psychosocial support. Youth and educational institutions were tasked with promoting a culture of peace to prevent future generations from inheriting the feud.
Article IV established mechanisms for monitoring and implementation. A Peace Monitoring and Reconciliation Committee would be formed, composed of representatives from government, security forces, religious leaders, elders, and community members. This body would meet regularly to assess compliance, mediate disputes, and recommend measures to sustain peace.
Atty. Nur-Aiza Gagarra, Provincial Legal Officer, said the Agreement was immediately binding and executory after it was signed.
Towards a Pagbanta-free Basilan
The peaceful resolution of pagbanta cases is a priority program of the Provincial Government under the administration of Governor Mujiv Hataman. At the start of his term, the newly elected governor vowed to achieve a “Pagbanta‑free Basilan.”
Pagbanta, known as rido among the Maguindanao and Meranaw, refers to clan feuds common in parts of Mindanao. These conflicts are usually triggered by issues of honor, political rivalry, land disputes, and other concerns, which often escalate into cycles of retaliation killing involving even extended kin. In Basilan, pagbanta has historically disrupted governance, displaced families, and hindered development.
The settlement signed in Lamitan is not the first. With the count beginning in 2025, it is the eighth major pagbanta resolution facilitated by the provincial government. Each resolution builds on the governor’s commitment to peace, backed by the military, the Council of Elders, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.
The provincial government, with assistance from Katilingbanong Pamahandi sa Mindanaw Foundation Inc. (KPMFI), trained a pool of magsusulut (conflict mediators) on Shariah-inspired mediation process that is based on the teachings of Qur’an and Hadith. The KPMFI peacebuilding efforts in Basilan are supported by Australian Aid.
During the signing ceremony, Governor Hataman shared a personal story that underscored the deep roots of clan wars in Basilan. As a teenager, his own family had experienced pagbanta. While his father was not directly involved in retaliatory killings, he provided financial support to relatives caught in the feud. The governor recalled that his father made sure to shield his children from the violence by sending them to school outside the province.
“We were fortunate,” Hataman said, “because my father protected us from being drawn into the cycle of revenge.”
He added: “That is why I am committed to ensuring that other families in Basilan can also be freed from the shadow of pagbanta. This settlement is not just about ending a feud; it is about building a foundation for lasting peace that will benefit generations to come. Our children deserve a future free from fear.”
Sab’r amid Web of Anger
“Hindi na nila alam kung saan ito nagsimula at kung bakit (They don’t even know anymore where it all started or why.), Ustadz Abdulmuhmin Alyakanie Mujahid, Vice Chairman of the Basilan Ulama Council and one of the mediators of the case, said when asked what the root cause of the pagbanta case in Muhammad Adjul was.
“The case is complex and involves a lot of parties,” said Mujahid, a former member of the BARMM Parliament representing Basilan. To make sense of the entire conflict narrative, the Ustadz organized the information he gathered on the case into conflict threads and came up with five involving various actors. The five threads are eventually linked to the Yunus-Addala dynamics, which served as the armed-power core of the conflict.
During the signing of the agreement, all those who delivered their messages avoided talking about the details of the pagbanta. The written agreement itself did not detail the circumstances and events of the 17-year feud. It is best this way, as narrating and misreading of the events may further aggravate the conflict.
But all started with the killing of one person in 2009 that fueled retaliation, commencing the downward spiral of retaliatory killings.
Behind the scenes, the peace pact was the product of painstaking mediation. Previous efforts at mediation failed to resolve the conflict. The latest effort initiated under the administration of the newly-elected governor started in 15 August 2025. It took five months of shuttle mediation among six main actors and families in the conflict.
Ustadz Mujahid counted over 20 separate dialogues and meetings among all those involved, including ones that were called and facilitated by the Governor, before all parties agreed to sign a peace pact.
Reflecting on what contributed to the resolution of the said pagbanta, Al‑rasheed M. Sakkalahul, focal person of the Council of Elders and lead mediator for the case, said that sab’r (patience), sincerity, and political will were the key factors at play.
“Key to the mediation process is sincerity and patience, and trustworthiness,” said Sakkalahul, who also served as vice governor of Basilan under the administration of Wahab and Jum Akbar.
He added: “For me, the pagsusulut (conflict resolution) process was effective because of the political will demonstrated by the Governor. He made it clear to all that this conflict will have to be resolved in the interest of the welfare and development of the people.”
The provincial government adopted a policy of “non-payment of blood money” in the resolution of long-standing pagbanta.
Brigadier General Frederick M. Sales, Commander of the 1101st Infantry “Gagandilan” Brigade, underscored the significance of the settlement for Basilan’s peace efforts. Keeping watch from a distance, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tiptoed their way through the mediation process.
Gen. Sales said the AFP could not establish peacekeeping base in the area of conflict as they are identified as MILF camps and are secured under the GRP-MILF peace accord. At the height of the pagbanta, the AFP responded to incidences of armed fights, preventing it from escalating.
“The resolution of this conflict will have big impact on the peace effort of the AFP in Basilan,” he said, calling on the MILF to support local government initiatives by providing post-pagbanta assistance to affected families and communities, and by supervising their troops to prevent renewed hostilities.
To Allah We Shall Be Accountable
“When the believers cross the Hellfire, they will be stopped at a small bridge (Qantarah) before entering Paradise, and they will settle the injustices between them until they are purified. Then they will be permitted to enter Paradise.” ( Hadith as reported by Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri)
Centering on this Hadith (sayings, practices of Prophet Mohammad, PBUH), Dr. Aboulkhair S. Tarason, Chairperson of the Basilan Ulama Supreme Council, exhorted the over 500 men and women who gathered for the resolution of the pagbanta. The ulama reminded those gathered that unless the conflict is settled, those involved will not be able to enter paradise.
He further admonished the participants to the signing of the peace agreement that “settlement of conflict should be founded with clean intention” for peace to prevail.
“The anchorage on the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet (PBUH) is the fundamental element in the resolution of pagbanta,” said Dr. Alzad Sattar, former professor at University of the Philippines Institute of Islamic Studies. “Thus, when erstwhile enemies embrace each other in reconciliation, they are actually making peace with Allah,” Sattar, also one of the mediators, said.
“Tanggapin natin ang katotohanan na sa bandang huli, haharapin pa rin natin si Allah sa araw ng gating kamatayan (We must accept the truth that, in the end, we will stand before Allah on the day of our death.),” said Commader Arasad when asked why he agreed to the amicable settlement.(Jules L. Benitez/MindaNews)
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