Hundreds of families in Maguindanao have been forced to flee their homes during clashes between rival groups from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), eyewitnesses and military officials said yesterday.

Fighting erupted on Monday near the towns of Sultan Sa Barongis and Rajah Buayan sending people running for their lives, said Zamzamin Ampatuan, chairman of league of village captains in Rajah Buayan.

A 14-year-old girl was injured after being hit by a stray bullet and was rushed to hospital as at least 300 families fled the fighting.

Ampatuan said people fear the violence could escalate after spotting the arrival or around 80 armed men to reinforce the rival camps, adding that he has urged the military to set up a "buffer zone" to protect civilians.

The conflict is believed to be over a 20-hectare piece of land in Tukanakuden village in Sultan Sa Barongis.

The government has urged the MILF leadership to   “discipline their troops and peacefully resolve the ridos
[clan wars] among its base commanders.”

“We call on the MILF to show their collective sincerity and commitment to the peace process especially now that we are on the home stretch of the negotiations,” said Brigadier General Leo Cresente Ferrer, a senior adviser to the government peace negotiating panel.

“We urge them to stop and settle this internal conflict immediately in reverence to the holy month of Ramadan so that Muslim communities can celebrate with their families in the peace and safety of their homes,” he added.

The military has also called on the rival factions to show restraint.

“We can only monitor the situation because that is an internal conflict. What we do now is try and prevent the [clashes from spreading] to urban areas and to secure the safety of civilians,” said Colonel Mayoralgo, a local military commander.

The MILF Central Committee has yet to release a statement about the conflict among its own troops.

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