MANILA. Philippines (Reuters) — Armed men with links to Muslim rebels stormed a prison early on Wednesday (January 4) in the southern Philippines, killing a guard and freeing more than a 150 inmates, police said.
The Southeast Asian nation has for decades been plagued by insurgencies by Muslim rebels in its southern islands, with President Rodrigo Duterte seeking to promote broad peace in the predominantly Catholic country.
The gunmen opened fire at guards at the North Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan city around 1:00 a.m. (1700 GMT), prison warden Peter Bongat told a local radio station.
“When the attack came, according to the report of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, it was a two-hour firefight. The jail guards were trying to stop the attackers and then our police responded. Unfortunately, because of the commotion, some inmates escaped using a wooden ladder that they stuck to the wall at the back portion of the jail. While the jail guards were trying to repel the attack, of course their attention is to secure the inmates and the facility. Someone just took advantage of that,” said Philippine National Police spokesperson Dionardo Carlos.
Of the jail’s 1,511 inmates, 158 managed to escape and four were recaptured, he said.
“Right now the police are helping to clear the area together with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology special reaction teams. And then they’re now going after those who escaped,” Carlos said.
The rebel commander belonged to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) based on initial information, Bongat said.
In 2014, the government signed a peace deal with the MILF, the biggest Muslim rebel group but clashes still occur with smaller groups.
