STOP LUMAD KILLINGS CAMPAIGN: What You Need to Know. Indigenous peoples (collectively called Lumad) in Mindanao are unde
STOP LUMAD KILLINGS CAMPAIGN: What You Need to Know Indigenous peoples (collectively called Lumad) in Mindanao are under systematic attack by the Philippine military and paramilitary groups under its command. The attacks involve intense military operations that include: aerial bombings of Lumad villages; killings; torture; forced displacement; harassment of residents, students and educators; arrest and detention; and filing of trumped-up charges against Lumad leaders and community members. In recent months, the attacks on Lumads have escalated. Of the 58 Lumads and advocates of indigenous peoples’ rights killed since 2010, 14 were killed in the last 6 months (between March and September 2015). Eleven of the victims were killed in 3 gruesome massacres over the last three months. Under this onslaught, at least 40,000 Lumads have been forced to leave their ancestral lands and evacuate to nearby towns and cities. Lumad and community schools have also been targeted. Since April of 2014, 25 Lumad schools have been forced to halt operations due to military harassment. In support of the military action, the Department of Education ordered the closure of these schools or the military take-over of the school administration. At least 84 attacks on 57 schools have displaced and disrupted the education of over 3,000 Lumad children.
Why are Lumads being attacked by the Philippine military? Lumad communities are targeted for two reasons. The Philippine military claims that Lumads are supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA). The Lumad villages now under severe attack are target regions for the implementation of the Philippine government’s counter-insurgency program, Operation Plan Bayanihan. The government’s counter-insurgency program in Mindanao has two goals – the elimination of the NPA and to establish the conditions for the implementation of the government’s economic development program of which mining and resource extraction are key strategies. The resource-rich Lumad villages fall within the areas the government has designated for mining. Lumad villages are targeted in the counter-insurgency operations to suppress Lumad opposition and clear the way for the entry of mining and other resource extraction companies. The situation has drawn the attention of various offices and agencies of the United Nations. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, visited some 700 Manobo refugees in Davao city in July 2015. The refugees told her that the presence of the military and paramilitary terrifies them and they will to return to their villages only “if the long-term militarization of their region comes to an end and they can return with guarantees of safety.” Peter Deck, UNCHR head of office for Mindanao, conducted a factfinding mission. In addressing military claims that the Lumad killings are perpetrated by the New People’s Army, the agency warned that “inaccurate depiction” of the violence and killings in Mindanao Lumad communities prevents actions to find, apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of human rights violations.”
How can you help? The campaign to Stop Lumad Killings has earned the support of a broad spectrum of Philippine society including churches, social movements, prominent organizations and personalities and politicians. The government authorities, however, have not heeded their calls. There has been no let-up in the killings and attacks on Lumads. The now global Stop Lumad Killings campaign aims to heighten international attention and decisive action to help end these atrocities against the indigenous peoples of Mindanao. In Canada, we are calling on concerned individuals and organizations to sign on to the campaign letter of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP).
