Mindanao Mid-Year Displacement Dashboard
Halfway into the year, a year that was seen to usher in a promising landscape for the peace process in restive Mindanao, a combination of incidents remain big security threats to the relative peace prevailing by the end of 2014 and continue to contribute to an unstable peace and security situation in the region. These incidents included rebel pursuit and manhunt activities, insecurity, harassment, terror attack, retaliatory violence, most if not all of which are armed confrontations between state security forces and armed non-state actors. At the start of 2015 to the present, a total of 229,065 persons have been displaced by conflicts in Mindanao.
The largest displacement incident since 2008 took place in February 2015 after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) declared an All-Out Offensive and Law Enforcement Operation (LEO) against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) that lasted until 30 March 2015. Over 201,974 were displaced from this and other related encounters where persons fled from the area to avoid being caught up in the gunfire, aerial-bombing, shelling and mortar fire.
Approaching two years since the end of the conflict in Zamboanga, slow progress is being made towards durable solutions. As of 30 June 2015, 581 families have been awarded permanent housing; and according to the housing authority, 35% of projected permanent housing is completed. As of 30 June 2015, around 5,052 families (estimated 28,000) remain displaced.
In addition to conflict in Maguindanao, many of the same areas that experienced fighting and evacuations have also been affected by the yearly flooding from storms and monsoon rains. This further impacted on the fragile communities, many that had recently returned from being displaced over the previous three to four months. Their shelters and livelihoods have been further severely affected. Each year, in the same areas of Maguindanao and surrounding areas, about 100,000 persons are temporarily displaced by flooding.
2015 Mid-Year Dashboard