Three people were killed and 15 others wounded as gunfire erupted hours before polls were to open in a semi-autonomous Muslim region of the Philippines set to choose its first elected parliament. The vote marks the culmination of a decades-long peace process that established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the country's far south.
Violence Erupts Ahead of Historic Election
Cotabato police chief Jibin Bongcayao reported that the shooting took place just before midnight as members of rival political factions jostled for the right to cast their votes first. The incident occurred outside a school being used as a polling station in the regional capital.
According to Bongcayao, the violence began as a struggle for position in the queue between two groups. "It started as a struggle for position in the queue between two groups. It led to shoving, escalated into a fistfight, and eventually gunfire broke out in a crowded area," he said.
Long History of Political Violence
The men involved in the shooting belonged to rival parties that have emerged from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a group that spent decades fighting for regional autonomy in the predominantly Catholic country. In a region long marred by political violence and blood feuds between powerful families, a peaceful election would be considered a success.
Security has been heightened across the BARMM in recent days, with more than 20,000 security personnel deployed in voting areas and quick response teams assembled to address potential violence. Last month, a motorcade carrying the region's interim chief minister was ambushed and attacked.
In a separate incident, a man died in hospital following an explosion near another polling station. Police are still investigating the cause of the explosion. The upcoming election is a critical step in the peace process and the establishment of the BARMM, and the violence underscores the challenges that remain in ensuring a peaceful and fair electoral process.
