The Philippine army said on Monday it had killed nine communist rebels in clashes on Christmas Day, nearly a month after both sides announced the resumption of peace talks.
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The clashes occurred in four remote villages near Malaybalay on the southern island of Mindanao, the military statement said, but gave no further details.
This announcement comes on the first day of a unilaterally declared “suspendment of tactical offensives” by the Maoist rebels until Tuesday, the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
After three decades of sporadic and unsuccessful dialogue, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the insurgents announced in late November that they would resume negotiations toward a peaceful end to the conflict.
Founded in 1969, the New People's Army, the armed wing of the PCP, experienced significant growth during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos (1972-1986), the father of the current leader, against a backdrop of political repression and increasing violence. Inequality.
The conflict has claimed thousands of lives.
The army has indicated it will not observe a Christmas truce this year with the NPA, which the military says now has fewer than 2,000 members, far fewer than the 26,000 members registered in the 1980s.