ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — The Philippine government rushed more troops and police to the south of the country Tuesday as a standoff between about 200 Muslim rebels and government forces dragged on for a second day with no solution in sight.
The rebels, enraged by a broken peace deal with the government, are holding scores of hostages as human shields near the port city of Zamboanga. Troops have surrounded the Moro National Liberation Front guerrillas and their hostages in four coastal villages.
The rebels fired two mortar rounds near the main port Tuesday, prompting authorities to order vessels to dock elsewhere. Sporadic exchanges of fire continued and some houses went up in flames in rebel-held villages, forcing more residents to flee.
Zamboanga was virtually shut down with most air flights and ferry services suspended. Communities near the clashes resembled a war zone with armoured troop carriers lining streets.
The MNLF rebel group signed a peace accord with the government in 1996, but hundreds of its fighters held on to their arms and have recently accused officials of reneging on a promise to develop an autonomous region for minority Muslims in the southern Mindanao region.