ZAMBOANGA CITY — Clashes between government security forces and the Abu Sayyaf have displaced 17,000 villagers in Basilan since the first week of this month, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported Friday. The ICRC said displaced people represented around 3,400 affected families in the areas of Tipo-Tipo, Al-Barka, and Ungkaya Pukan towns. The ICRC and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Basilan distributed Wednesday and Thursday essential household items that included hygiene kits, blankets, towels, jerry cans, mosquito nets and sleeping mats to the displaced people. Yann Fridez, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Mindanao, described the security situation in Basilan as unwarranted. The ICRC, in a statement here, was also conservative by tagging only the Abu Sayyaf as a non-state armed group.

Source: Philippine Star July 29, 2016 06:56 UTC