Yesterday some 2.8 million voters took to the polls on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines to decide on whether to create an autonomous Muslim region. The new self-governing territory would be known as Bangasmoro and would cover swathes of the island and its neighbouring archipelago. The hope is that a motion in favour would finally bring an end to tensions between the Muslim minority and the Catholic majority, which has taken claimed some 150,000 lives since the 1970s. Providing the Muslim population with a say over its own security matters, a $950m (€836m) development fund for the next 10 years and a cut of national tax revenue might ease friction. However, plebiscites rarely provide the final word when it comes to healing deep national divisions.

Even with an ongoing debt crisis and the eight-month absence of a government, last weekend marked a new low for Lebanon: a noticeably sub-par attendance for the Arab League’s semi-regular economic and social summit. Numerous heads of state had been scheduled to attend the event, which was held in Beirut after a five-year hiatus, but many cancelled amid disputes over whether Syria should be admitted back into the league. Only Mauritania’s president came for the full weekend; Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani flew in for a few hours and the rest sent delegations. The no-shows are yet another sad sign that this troubled country could become irrelevant in the region without the support of its neighbours.