( CNN ) -- At least 158 people have been killed since fighting broke out earlier this month between separatist rebels and soldiers in the Philippines , state news reported Wednesday . The majority of those killed , 125 , were militants from the Moro National Liberation Front ( MNLF ) , the government-run Philippines News Agency ( PNA ) said . Also among the reported dead were 15 members of the military , five from police , and 13 civilians . The lengthy crisis in Zamboanga City began when large numbers of rebels from the Muslim militant group came ashore more than two weeks ago . They took roughly 180 people hostage in coastal areas of the city . After attempts to negotiate the hostages ' release failed , security forces moved in , resulting in intense bursts of fighting . The vast majority of the captives have now been freed , but authorities believe the rebels are still holding around five people , Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala , a military spokesman , said Wednesday . The unrest has fueled fears of increased instability in a region where the central government is pursuing a new peace plan after decades of violence . More than 109,000 people have been displaced in Zamboanga City and close to 19,000 are displaced in Basilan province , according to the United Nations , which described the situation Wednesday as a humanitarian crisis . Zamboanga City , on the southwestern tip of Mindanao , is a mainly Christian city . `` We are increasingly alarmed by the situation and the growing needs of people caught up with violence , '' said Luiza Carvalho , U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in the Philippines . `` We are particularly concerned for the most vulnerable , especially the well-being of women and children . '' Hundreds of houses have caught fire during the fighting . Authorities have accused the rebels of deliberately starting the fires . The rebels are a faction of the MNLF , a separatist movement founded in 1971 by Nur Misuari with the aim of establishing an autonomous region for Muslims in the mainly Catholic Philippines . The MNLF signed a peace deal with the central government in Manila in 1996 , but some of its members have broken away to continue a violent campaign . Last month , Misuari issued a `` declaration of independence '' for the Moro nation -- referring to Mindanao 's indigenous Muslim population -- after complaining that the MNLF had been left out of a recent wealth-sharing agreement with another insurgent group , the Moro Islamic Liberation Front , which has fought for decades to set up an independent Islamic state on resource-rich Mindanao . CNN 's Tim Schwarz , Kathy Quiano and Jethro Mullen contributed to this report .
Fighting has erupted between Muslim rebels and Christians in Zamboanga City . At least 158 people have been killed , including many civilians . United States : The unrest has displaced more than 100,000 people . Authorities believe about 100 hostages are still being held by rebels .