Indigenous Peoples (IPs) under threat in Mindanao
From March to September 2015, thirteen (13) lumad leaders, activists, and villagers that includes children were killed in five (5) incidents of extra-judicial killings and four (4) massacres. There were at least six (6) incidents of forced evacuations from the provinces of Sarangani, Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, and Surigao Del Sur that involved more than 4,000 individuals, mostly indigenous peoples (IP). They fled their homes and communities, out of fear of death and military presence in their lands. At present, over 5,000 IPs are known to remain displaced and many communities at-risk of dis-placement.
The human rights violations against the IP communities include Grave Child Rights Violations (GCRV) of killing, maiming, and attacks on schools. Per-ceived as political actions supporting “communist (NPA) ideology”, the IP communities are believed to be targeted for organizing against the govern-ment and corporations in their ancestral lands. This report does not include all incidents against IPs in Mindanao.
