Mindanao - Ten personnel from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces will be overseeing and supervising a ceasefire between Philippine government forces and Muslim separatist rebels in southern Mindanao Island of the Philippines, as Brunei soldiers join an International Monitoring Team (IMT) in the Philippines today.

Malaysia, spearheading the mission has also sent 50 personnel comprising military, police and government officers to the island. They are expected to arrive today to join 8 others who went last month. The monitoring team will be deployed to five areas in Mindanao.

According to Bernama, the Malaysian team is expected to be in the southern Philippines for about a year.

In 2002, a ceasefire was signed between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The international monitoring team is to ensure that a truce is observed while peace talks continue, officials said.

The Bruneian team comprises 5 officers and 3 other ranks from the Royal Brunei Land Forces. Two other officers are from the Royal Brunei Training Centre and the Ministry of Defence. They will be lead by Lieutenant Colonel Aminuddin Ihsan bin POKSMDSP Hj Abidin.

On ensuring the safety of the IMT, Philippine troops pledge to provide the IMT with 24-hour security. MILF have also reassured that they will be protecting the IMT.

The sending of an IMT to Mindanao was one of the provisions agreed upon by the Philippine government and the MILF. Formal peace negotiations between the Philippines and the MILF are expected to resume with the arrival of the IMT.

Besides Brunei and Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bahrain, Libya and Bangladesh have also been invited to send peace missions with the aim of forging a peace deal with the MILF and at the same time improve security in the Philippines.