MANILA: Hijab-clad female soldiers are to be deployed throughout the Philippines as part of a major counterterrorism initiative.
The so-called “hijab troopers” will provide vital support to communities traumatized by war. Their placement in key areas across the country follows the success of their deployment during the Marawi siege last year, when Daesh-inspired local terrorists seized the city.
Army Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the troopers have been trained in preventing and countering violent extremism.
“Because of their success in Marawi, it’s believed that they’ll also be effective in other places,” he told Arab News. “They’ll provide cultural and psychosocial services in urban communities.” This will help in maintaining order and security in cities, he added.
As well as Marawi, the female troopers will also move into other areas, including the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela, and the village of Maharlika.
Last week, the Philippine Army held a special ceremony during which the contribution of the “hijab troopers” to the ongoing rehabilitation of Marawi was recognized.
Members of the army unit, comprising four officers and 56 enlisted personnel, were awarded the Military Merit Medal for their services in Marawi in 2017.
Their main involvement was providing support to the local government and other agencies in helping those displaced by the five months of fighting between government forces and the Maute terror group. They were specifically focused on peace education and assisting in psychosocial debriefing, especially among children and young people traumatized by the war.
The deployment of the female soldiers wearing hijabs was concentrated in areas where the majority of the population practice Islam.
Diosita Andot, undersecretary of the office of the presidential adviser on the peace process in the Philippines, told the women at the awards ceremony: “As women in uniform, you are already in the task of peacekeeping. But I know that with the job you are doing in the IDP (internationally displaced persons) camps, you can also do peacemaking and peacebuilding as well.”
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Philippines to deploy ‘hijab troopers’ nationwide
Philippines to deploy ‘hijab troopers’ nationwide
- The deployment of the female soldiers wearing hijabs was concentrated in areas where the majority of the population practice Islam
South Sudan orders UN personnel, civilians to leave parts of Jonglei State
JUBA: South Sudan’s military has ordered all civilians and personnel from the UN mission and all other charities to evacuate three counties in Jonglei State ahead of an operation there against opposition forces.
Clashes that the United Nations says are occurring at a scale not seen since 2017 have been convulsing South Sudan, Africa’s youngest country, for months. Some of the fiercest fighting has taken place in Jonglei, located in the country’s east on the border with Ethiopia, where the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) is seeking to halt an offensive by fighters loyal to Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO). An operation code-named “operation enduring peace” was “imminent,” the SSPDF said in a statement on Sunday. The military said all civilians living in Nyirol, Uror and Akobo counties in Jonglei were “directed to immediately evacuate for safety to government-controlled areas as soon as possible.” All personnel from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and those working for non-governmental organizations were also ordered to evacuate the three counties within 48 hours. “Our peacekeepers in Akobo remain in place, carrying out all efforts under our mandate to help de-escalate tensions and prevent conflict,” a UNMISS spokesperson told Reuters. She did not say whether UN staff also remained in the other counties. Last week SPLA-IO called on its forces to march on South Sudan’s capital Juba, signalling a major escalation. Earlier this month SPLA-IO forces seized the town of Pajut in heavy fighting in the north of Jonglei and the town’s capture was seen as putting the state capital of Bor at risk.
In a statement on Sunday UNMISS said 180,000 people in the state had already been displaced by the conflict and urged South Sudan’s leaders “to put the interests of their people first by stopping the fighting.”
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in a statement on Sunday it had evacuated key staff from Akobo county after “clear instruction from the relevant authorities, and in response to the deteriorating security situation in the area.”
SPLA-IO forces led by South Sudan’s vice president Riek Machar battled the military in the 2013-18 civil war, which was fought along largely ethnic lines and killed about 400,000 people.
A peace deal in 2018 quieted the conflict, although localized clashes have persisted.
Clashes that the United Nations says are occurring at a scale not seen since 2017 have been convulsing South Sudan, Africa’s youngest country, for months. Some of the fiercest fighting has taken place in Jonglei, located in the country’s east on the border with Ethiopia, where the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) is seeking to halt an offensive by fighters loyal to Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO). An operation code-named “operation enduring peace” was “imminent,” the SSPDF said in a statement on Sunday. The military said all civilians living in Nyirol, Uror and Akobo counties in Jonglei were “directed to immediately evacuate for safety to government-controlled areas as soon as possible.” All personnel from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and those working for non-governmental organizations were also ordered to evacuate the three counties within 48 hours. “Our peacekeepers in Akobo remain in place, carrying out all efforts under our mandate to help de-escalate tensions and prevent conflict,” a UNMISS spokesperson told Reuters. She did not say whether UN staff also remained in the other counties. Last week SPLA-IO called on its forces to march on South Sudan’s capital Juba, signalling a major escalation. Earlier this month SPLA-IO forces seized the town of Pajut in heavy fighting in the north of Jonglei and the town’s capture was seen as putting the state capital of Bor at risk.
In a statement on Sunday UNMISS said 180,000 people in the state had already been displaced by the conflict and urged South Sudan’s leaders “to put the interests of their people first by stopping the fighting.”
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in a statement on Sunday it had evacuated key staff from Akobo county after “clear instruction from the relevant authorities, and in response to the deteriorating security situation in the area.”
SPLA-IO forces led by South Sudan’s vice president Riek Machar battled the military in the 2013-18 civil war, which was fought along largely ethnic lines and killed about 400,000 people.
A peace deal in 2018 quieted the conflict, although localized clashes have persisted.
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