A few hours after an earthquake shook Mindanao, a bomb blew up the celebration of a university mass on the same Philippine island. At least four people have died and another forty-two - most of them students - have been injured by the explosion that occurred at seven in the morning on Sunday in the gymnasium of the University of Mindanao in Marawi.
The rectorate has expressed its "sadness and dismay" at the attack that occurred on the first Sunday of Advent. Images taken by the same students show the chaotic evacuation of several injured people, packed into tuktuks or motorized tricycles.
The army has defined the incident as a "terrorist attack" and an island police official, Cruz Nobleza, has specified that it is being investigated whether the explosion was "the product of an artifact or a grenade", as well as its possible relationship with a vast anti-jihadist operation. , the previous day.
Indeed, between Friday and Saturday, a raid by the Philippine Air Force in a mountainous area of Mindanao reportedly eliminated eleven militants from a local jihadist organization, including its leader. Therefore, this Sunday's bloodletting is being investigated as a possible retaliation.
President "Bongbong" Marcos, for his part, has condemned "this horrendous and senseless attack perpetrated by foreign terrorists." Marcos also thanked "the rapid response and support to the victims by the authorities of the regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao."
Marcos claims to have sent additional forces and has called to "remain calm" and avoid misinformation so as not to play into the hands of an attack that clearly seeks to exploit religious tensions in Mindanao.
All of this in a city, Marawi, that made headlines in 2017 for having been taken over for five months by jihadists from the Abu Sayaf group, affiliated with the Islamic State. Some 168 Filipino soldiers then lost their lives to recapture Marawi from the militants, who in turn suffered a thousand deaths. Likewise, 87 civilians perished during the siege and the heat of the fighting, which left the city in ruins.
Part of the southern, predominantly Catholic island of Mindanao, it forms the bulk of the Bangsamoro Muslim Autonomous Region, which also includes some smaller islands such as Joló and Tawi-Tawi. This region achieved greater powers and resources under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, which contributed to a very notable reduction in the level of violence.
This latest outbreak of insurgency and counterinsurgency, now under the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., coincides with the announcement, this week, of peace talks for the conditional dissolution of the oldest communist guerrilla in Asia.
On the other hand, the tsunami alert in Mindanao was lifted this Sunday, after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the northeast of the island last night.
