DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Unidentified men reportedly torched a dormitory for Lumad evacuees in this city, hurting 5 people, including two children.
The incident happened at around 2 am Wednesday, February 24.
Jong Monzon, secretary general of Pasaka in Southern Mindanao, alleged that the pre-dawn fire was premeditated and intentional.
The dormitory at the Haran compound was used as an evacuation center for Lumad evacuees who had fled their homes from Talaingod, Davao del Norte, and Bukidnon.
The Haran compound, owned by the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), has been off limits to everyone except the nongovernmental groups supervising them.
The evacuees began flocking to Haran compound last year, to escape alleged harassment by military and paramilitary forces in their communities.
In May 2015, more than 700 Lumad were displaced from Talaingod after alleged government forces and the Alamara occupied several villages in the town. Human rights groups reported cases of harassment and indiscriminate firing. (READ: TIMELINE: Attacks on the Lumad of Mindanao)
At a congressional inquiry in January, Datu Intu Sayad, a former NPA rebel, said that rebels who infiltrate Lumad communities make indigenous peoples vulnerable to attacks. (READ: Lumad: Caught in the middle of a war) – Rappler.com