AROUND 15,000 individuals have been displaced following clashes between Moro armed groups in the boundary of North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.

The growing tension between forces of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) — a result of a longtime rivalry by their respective leaders — affected the villages of Kabasalan, Barongis, Buliok, Bago Inged, Bulol and Rajamuda in Pikit, North Cotabato. The clashes forced around 1,800 families and 1,200 families out of their homes in the villages of Kalbugan and Buliok, respectively, in the nearby Pagalungan town in Maguindanao.