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Islamic separatists fighting for independence

Updated on 28 March 2007

By Channel 4 News

Since long before al-Qaida, the 'war on terror' or the 'clash of civilisations', Muslim separatist guerrillas in the southern Philippines have been fighting for independence from the mainly Catholic country.

In the last few weeks, the Government has gone further than ever before in offering autonomy to end a conflict that's killed 125,000 people over 40 years.

But with peace process bogged down in arguments over details, there've been persistent reports that the ceasefire is far from secure.

In the first of three reports looking at the Philippines, our reporter Nima Elbagir travelled to the heart of the conflict, in Mindanao, to see if the killing had actually stopped.

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