
Kevin Sullivan assesses the prospects for settling long-running conflicts in the Philippines in the context of continuing human rights violations, including enforced disappearances
The announcement at the end of August that the Philippines Government and the National Democratic Front (NDFP) had signed an agreement enabling a permanent ceasefire, has been seen as a significant step forward, especially when viewed against the turbulent backdrop of President Rodrigo Duterte’s first months in office. A number of left-wing groups come under the NDFP banner, including the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army and the Moro Resistance and Liberation Organization. The August ceasefire agreement opens the way for intensive talks on political and constitutional reforms that could lead to the final settlement of a conflict that has gone on with varying degrees of intensity since 1968.
In addition to injecting momentum into the NDFP negotiations,…