100 flee as warring clans clash

LANAO DEL SUR — Nearly 100 residents, including women, children and elderly villagers, fled their homes late Thursday after a 40-minute gun battle between two feuding clans in Barangay Kauran left one person dead, the military said Friday.

Lt. Col. Ronald Suscano, spokesperson for the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the clash stemmed from a long-running family feud, locally known as a rido, between the Filmin and Simpal clans in Sitio Sabaduan, a remote hamlet in the municipality.

One armed member of the Filmin family was killed. Authorities withheld his identity pending verification and said he was an active participant in the hostilities, not a civilian or government personnel.

Initial police reports said the firefight began at about 6:30 p.m. Thursday when armed members of the two groups encountered one another. The exchange prompted an estimated 80 to 100 residents to flee to neighboring communities.

Joint military and police forces were deployed and contained the situation by midnight, officials said. Both groups withdrew farther into the surrounding hinterlands. No civilians or government troops were reported injured.

Barangay officials coordinated with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to provide emergency assistance to displaced families. Social workers began assessing immediate needs, including food, clean water and medical supplies.

Security was reinforced across the municipality. The Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ordered stricter checkpoint operations to prevent retaliatory attacks, while additional peacekeeping troops remained in the village to help secure the area and allow residents to return when it is safe.

Suscano said army intelligence and peace-building teams were engaging traditional leaders and community elders to seek a ceasefire and work toward a lasting settlement between the clans.