Moro National Liberation Front(MNLF)

Moro National Liberation Front

• created 1969 by Nur Misuari

• tension between the native Muslim population and the newly-arrived Christian population sparked its creation

• to establish an independent Muslim state in the Bangsamoro region

• to establish an egalitarian society (Open Society), tolerant of all religions

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• MNLF began a rebellion against the gov’t on October 1972

• Government troops and Muslim rebels clashed

• Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) appealed to the gov’t to end its repression of Muslims

• President Marcos ordered a ceasefire, proposed a peace plan MNLF rejected

• OIC mediated between the gov’t & MNLF in Tripoli parties agreed to a cessation of military hostilities

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• On March 1977, Marcos issued a proclamation establishing an autonomous region in the south

• Referendum was boycotted by the MNLF

• Government troops and Muslim rebels clashed

• Muslims fled to Sabah as refugees

• President Corazon Aquino & MNLF representatives signed a ceasefire agreement on September 1986

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• Gov’t and MNLF signed the Jeddah Accord on January 1987

• MNLF agreed to abandon its campaign for independence in favor of autonomy for Mindanao island

• MNLF resumed its rebellion against the government

• Approval of a plan providing autonomy of the Moro provinces MNLF called upon Muslims to boycott the referendum

• OIC mediated, ceasefire agreement was signed by the gov’t & MNLF

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• September 1996, the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao was established with Nur Misuari as its governor

• World Bank and Japan provided reconstruction assistance in the ARMM beginning 2002

• Issue of revenue-sharing from mineral-extraction in the ARMM

• On February 2013, OIC appealed to the gov’t & MNLF to negotiate a resolution of the remaining issues

Moro Islamic Liberation Front(MILF)

Moro Islamic Liberation Front

• founded by Hashim Salamat in 1984

• separated from the Moro National Liberation Front

• rejected the peace agreement signed by the government and the MNLF which established the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)

• adhered to its goal of securing an independent Muslim state in the southern Philippines

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• MILF rejected the establishment of ARMM

• Government troops launched a military offensive against the MILF rebels on 1996

• Gov’t announced a unilateral ceasefire on December 1996 and peace negotiations began on January 1997

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provided emergency humanitarian assistance for displaced individuals

• Cessation of military hostilities went into effect on July 1997

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• October 1999, gov’t troops and MILF clashed

• President Estrada pursued an “all-out-war” against the MILF MILF declared jihad against the gov’t

• Gov’t troops captured Camp Omar (Maguindanao), Camp Bushra and Camp Abu Bakr

• Moammar Gadhafi of Libya facilitated negotiations between the parties in Tripoli on June 2001

• Formal ceasefire agreement was signed in Malaysia on August 2001

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• On February 2003, gov’t clashed with MILF in Maguindanao

• 22 individuals were killed in a bombing attack at Davao airport on March 4, 2003; 10 were killed in political violence in Cotabato on March 26

• Representatives of the gov’t and MILF signed a ceasefire agreement on 2003

• International Monitoring Team (ITM-Mindanao) was established to monitor the ceasefire agreement

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• On July 2008, the gov’t announced a preliminary agreement with the MILF

• Supreme Court blocked the formal signing of the agreement on August

• Gov’t troops and MILF clashed

• Malaysia-mediated negotiations resumed on December 2009

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• Government troops and MILF clashed

• On September 2010, Mohagher Iqbal said that the MILF will concede to an autonomous substate rather than independence

• October 2012, the representatives of the gov’t and MILF signed the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro

• On March 2014, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed

Conflict, Violence and Resolutions

• 44 Members of Philippines National Police Elite Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), 18 Members of the MILF and 5 civilians were killed in a clash with members of MILF and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on Sunday January 25, 2015

• Search for Malaysian bomb expert Zulkifli bin Hir (Marwan), who is reportedly being protected by the BIFF, and has a bounty of $5,000,000 from the US FBI

• Delay on the approval of Comprehensive Agreement on the Bansamoro

References:

• http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/379 • http://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/asiapacific-region/

philippinesmoro-national-liberation-front-1968-present/ • http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/

view/309 • http://uca.edu/politicalscience/dadm-project/asiapacific-region/

philippinesmoro-islamic-liberation-front-1978-present/