The Mindanao conflict has reaped at least 850,000 from 2013 up to 2015 alone, and the figure could be much higher if the casualty numbers could be collated since the start of the decades-old strife in the south, according to nonprofit organization Save the Children.
On the other hand, the Protection Cluster Philippines said that at least 88,395 individuals have also been displaced by conflict and violence since it began collecting data in 2012. The Protection Cluster Philippines is a subset of the UN refugee agency.
The figures on casualty and displacement on Mindanao’s conflict emerged during the “Barangay Walang Iwanan,” a summit that was organized by Gawad Kalinga and French non-government organization Convergences and the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development.
The summit discussed proposed actions and encouraged action on the different problems currently besetting Mindanao as it zeroes in on the challenges in achieving “3 Zero goal,” which is zero exclusion, zero carbon and zero poverty.
Mark Lawrence Cruz, director of SEED Philipines, who spoke during the summit said that sustainable peace in Mindanao may be established especially through on-ground activities that will respect the culture and multiethnicity of the region, as well as in addressing the gaps between the various groups that call Mindanao their home.
Cruz also moderated the breakout session on “Raising the Peace Generation” during the summit.