Catholics stay away as Manila retakes land from Muslim rebels

“Our troops have virtually liberated these areas,” Cunanan told reporters, adding the rebels had been forced to move back to the marshlands or deeper into the mountains in adjacent Shariff Kabunsuan province in the southern Philippines.

“We’re sending our bomb disposal teams to make sure all villages are safe from booby traps and landmines left behind by the retreating rebels.”

The rebels launched their attack last week after the Philippines Supreme Court halted a deal to create a new, larger homeland for Muslims that would give them more autonomy in the resource-rich south.

Muslims in the south of the largely Catholic country have been seeking some form of independence for decades in a conflict that has killed more than 1,20,000 people, but as details of a secretive land deal began emerging last month, Christians took the matter to court.

Cunanan said some of the displaced farmers had been allowed to check their homes and farms, but most of the 1,60,000 displaced farmers were afraid to return. Only around 10 per cent of the displaced are estimated to be in evacuation centres with the rest either camped outside or staying with relatives.

On Wednesday, the UN said it was concerned about a humanitarian crisis. “The Secretary-General appeals for restraint, protection of all civilians as well as access for the provision of speedy humanitarian assistance to the affected population,” the statement read. Most aid agencies have been unable to access the region because of the fighting.

“The Red Cross has finally been able to get in. We’re preparing to feed 85,000 people for the next five days,” said Richard Gordon, the head of the Philippines’ Red Cross.