SUMMARY
The outbreak of violence between the Hadji Faizal Abdulkarim clan and the Hadji Masir Ahalul clan can be explained by a number of different factors. On the one hand, the rivalry between these two clans can be traced back to the alleged killing of a son of Ahalul by one of the members of the Abdulkarim clan in the early 1980s. On the other hand, however, land disputes between the two clans over significant tracts of land may have played a significant role. This comes as Bubuan island, the area where the two clans live, a small, poor and relatively isolated island, is a safe-haven and drop-off point for smugglers operating in the Southern Philippines. Moreover, it is common for influential people in the area to have large protection forces and use violence to settle various disputes, especially as state authorities are weak in these areas. However, the exact trigger behind the outburst of violence in July 1998 remains unclear.
Fighting between the Hadji Faizal Abdulkarim clan and the Hadji Masir Ahalul clan took the form of gun battles, the two clans attacking each-other, mainly using rifles and grenades. Heavy mortars, dynamite and grenade launchers were also employed in the course of the fighting. Further, while violence was not long-lasting, it quickly engulfed and affected the entire island. As such, more than 60 houses were burnt down, leading to over 200 families (or nearly 10% of Bubuans population) were displaced to nearby Basilan Island by the middle of July 1998. The violence between the two clans subsided as regional authorities and the Philippine Army called for a state of emergency on Bubuan and issued an ultimatum threatening to storm the island. Subsequently, a truce between the Hadji Faizal Abdulkarim clan and the Hadji Masir Ahalul clan was reached on 13 July 1998, just as police forces were deployed to the island.
The non-state conflict between the Hadji Faizal Abdulkarim clan and the Hadji Masir Ahalul clan is first included in UCDP data in 1998. In July of that year, violence between the two clans had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.
