ANKARA

A weeklong celebration to mark the fourth anniversary of the foundation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have been kicked off.

Different ministries, offices, and agencies joined the cultural float parade to formally open the celebrations on Saturday in Cotabato City, the government said in a series of tweets.

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim highlighted during the opening program the major accomplishments of the Bangsamoro government during the past four years, since its inception in 2019.

Various service-oriented activities are lined up this year as part of the weeklong celebration.

In 2018, a decades-long insurgency by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led to peace negotiations with the Philippines government, and the BARMM was formed.

The regional government is run by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority led by Ebrahim, who was elected the first chief minister in February 2019.

The mandate of the transitional authority was due to end this year, but the Philippine government under former President Rodrigo Duterte extended it until 2025 to allow Ebrahim and his team to achieve all targets, including the decommissioning of former MILF fighters.