| Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) | |
|---|---|
| الجبهة الوطنية لتحرير مورو | |
 Seal | |
| Leaders | Nur Misuari (founding chairman) andMus Sema (MNLF EC-15)[1] |
| Dates of operation | 21 October 1972 – 2 September 1996 (as a secessionist group)[2] 2 September 1996 – present (as a political organization) |
| Split from | Muslim Independence Movement |
| Country | Philippines |
| Headquarters | Sulu, Philippines |
| Active regions | Mindanao, Philippines |
| Ideology | Anti-Malay sentiment (Misuari faction)[4][5][6] [7][8] |
| Status | Active |
| Allies | State allies Non-state allies |
| Opponents | State opponents
|
| Battles and wars | Moro conflict |
| Flag |  |
| Website | www |
TheMoro National Liberation Front (MNLF;Arabic:الجبهة الوطنية لتحرير مورو) is a political organization in thePhilippines that was founded in 1972.[1][11] It started as a splinter group of theMuslim Independence Movement (MIM).[1] The MNLF was the organization most active in theMoro conflict for about two decades beginning from the 1970s.[1]
The MNLF isinternationally recognized by theOrganisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States (PUIC).[12] Since 1977, the MNLF has been an observer member of the OIC.[13] On January 30, 2012, MNLF became an observer member of the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Cooperation (PUIC), as approved during the 7th PUIC global session held inPalembang,Indonesia.[14]
In 1996, the MNLF signed a landmarkpeace agreement with the Philippine government under the administration of PresidentFidel Ramos that saw the creation of theAutonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), an area composed of two mainland provinces and three island provinces in which the predominantly Muslim population enjoys a degree of self-rule.[15]
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The Philippine government wanted to encourage migration of landlessChristians from other parts of the country in a so-calledHomestead Program (1903–1973). There was no land titling system by the natives of Mindanao at that time, and the Christian settlers exploited the situation.Lanao andCotabato received an influx of migrants fromLuzon andVisayas. Tensions between Moros and Christians were caused by disputes about land ownership and disenfranchisement of Muslims. TheHomestead Program is one of the root-causes of theMoro conflict.[16][17]
Poverty, grievances of theMuslim population, weakrule of law and difficult terrain have madecounterterrorism challenging against insurgents in the Southern Philippines.[18]
On March 18, 1968, there was analleged massacre of Moro soldiers inCorregidor Island.[19][20] This eventually led to the establishment of the Bangsamoro Liberation Organization (BMLO).[21] Bangsamoro Liberation Organization (BMLO) and Ansarul Islam founders wereDomocao Alonto,Sayyid Sharif Capt. Kalingalan Caluang, Rashid Lucman, Salipada Pendatun, Hamid Kamlian, Udtog Matalam, and Atty. Macapantun Abbas Jr. Accordingly, "it is a mass movement for the preservation and development of Islam in the Philippines".[22] The advocacy of Ansar El Islam would, later on, inspire the creation of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the MILF.[23][24] There has been a long-standing allegation thatMalaysia provided the initial training and arming of the first batch of MNLF cadres known as "Top 90" in 1969.[25] It has been alleged that Malaysia was either ignorant or tolerated the illicit arms shipments, mainly from the Middle East, flowing into Mindanao that fueled the insurgency.[26]
Nur Misuari is the founding chairman of the MNLF and current leaders of one of its factions.[1] The MNLF was founded as a splinter group of theMuslim Independence Movement on October 21, 1972.[1]
MNLF officially claims that its ideology isegalitarianism, and the organization is a secular movement, unlike its splinter group theMoro Islamic Liberation Front.[27]
The MNLF was the leading organization among Moro separatists for about two decades beginning from the 1970s. Several splinter groups have emerged, includingAbu Sayyaf, and theMoro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Within the organisation, several competing factions have emerged in support and in opposition of founding chairmanNur Misuari. These include, theMNLF Executive Council of 15, established in 2001 in opposition of Misuari, a faction led byMuslimin Sema, who refused to partake in theZamboanga City Siege and a faction led byHadja Bainon Karon, who supported the 2012 peace deal, while Misuari had criticized it.[28][1][29][30][31]
There was also a case of defections ofMoro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters to MNLF.[32] As of 14 August 2015[update], the current chairman of the group is contested and the sources, includingOrganisation of Islamic Cooperation and Philippine Government, disagree.United Nations Security Council report stated in 2010 that the splinter groups Moro Islamic Liberation Front andAbu Sayyaf recruit and usechild soldiers in the conflict.[33]
Libyan andMuammar Gaddafi's mediation resulted in the signing of theTripoli Agreement on December 23, 1976. The agreement aimed to establish an autonomous region for Ethnic-Muslim Filipinos. The agreement failed shortly after signing due to PresidentFerdinand Marcos' decision to create two autonomous regions instead of only one, which consisted of only 10 of the 13 provinces agreed upon in the Tripoli Agreement. A referendum was held on each province to be included in the autonomous region. Decades after the government's resettlement of un-landed settlers in Moro Ancestral Lands in Mindanao, the Moros became the minority in their own homeland. The referendums however did influenceAutonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by creating its predecessors. MNLF decided to continue armed struggle.[1]
The MNLF shifted from demands of full independence to autonomy in the 1980s. In 1986 a ceasefire and attempts to have a peace agreement were made, but they failed.[1]
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was established in 1989, despite opposition from the MNLF.[1]
Philippine PresidentFidel V. Ramos encouraged the involvement of Indonesia and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the peace process, culminating in the Jakarta Agreement of 1996, which aimed to fully implement the 1976 Tripoli Agreement. This breakthrough was largely facilitated by Sayyid Al-Hassan Caluang, former OIC Governor of Sulu and grandson of Sayyid Sharif Capt. Kalingalan Caluang. He played a crucial role in arranging meetings between MNLF elders and the Philippine government, providing vital support, including food and logistical assistance. Notably, Sayyid Sharif Capt. Kalingalan Caluang, a World War II veteran and staunch advocate for the Bangsamoro cause, was a founding member of Ansarul Islam, alongside key leaders such as Salipada Pendatun and Domocao Alonto. His enduring legacy of leadership laid the foundation for the peace efforts that his grandson would continue to advance.[34][1]
It was through1996 Final Peace Agreement that the creation ofGrand Mufti of Darul Ifta Region 9 and Palawan was made. However, the Tensions between the Philippine Government and the MNLF have been fueled by mineral wealth sharing, problems of implementing the peace agreement and theMisuari faction's ongoing opposition of the peace agreement.[1][35]Misuari was installed as the region's governor but his rule ended in violence when he led a failed rebellion against the Philippine government in November 2001,[15] and fled toSabah before being deported back to the Philippines by theMalaysian authorities.[1][36][37]
In 2015, Misuari rejected reports on the MNLF involvement in theNorth Borneo dispute and said only theSultanate of Sulu can pursue the negotiations for theSabah claim with theMalaysian sides. The MNLF has asserted that their group are not involved in any part of the North Borneo dispute and stressing it is a non-issue as Sabah has become the "home-base for different tribal groupings of Muslims from different regions of Southeast Asia that have enjoyed peaceful and harmonious co-existence with theChinese andChristian populace in the area."[38]
European Union and the United States do not use the classification of "terrorist" for the MNLF.[39]
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In 2013, the Misuari faction of the MNLF declared independence for theBangsamoro Republik and attackedZamboanga City. During the MNLFstandoff with theArmed Forces of the Philippines, the group was accused by the Philippines of using civilians ashuman shields and labeled as terrorists.[40][41][42][43] The State Department of the United States included a mention of the siege in its report on "East Asia and Pacific Overview".[44]
Misuari has had talks with PresidentRodrigo Duterte since the signing of theBangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) inDavao City. Duterte is also considering autonomy to be given to Misuari.[45] Misuari also talked with Duterte aboutfederalism[46] according to Presidential SpokespersonHarry Roque.[47]
TheOPAPP under the orders of President Duterte formed the GPH-MNLF Peace Coordinating Committee[48][49] in order to fulfill the remaining parts of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement. It is tasked to adress the security and socio-economic problems withinSulu andMindanao. It also serves as the coordinating committee with the Philippine Government.[50]
On August 12, 2022, Abdulkarim Misuari, Nurrheda Misuari[51] along with 4 others have been appointed as Members of Parliament for theBangsamoro Transition Authority under PresidentBongbong Marcos.[52] The appointment lasts until the regular elections for the Bangsamoro Parliament will be held in 2025.
Under theExecutive Council of 15, they were part of theBangsamoro Transition Commission with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Yusop Jikiri and Muslimin Sema along with her wife, former Congresswoman Bai Sandra Sema supports the Bangsamoro Organic Law.[53][54] After the enactment of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, members of the EC-15 got appointed into theBangsamoro Transition Authority by President Duterte.[55]
In 2023 however Misuari and Mus Sema's faction united together regarding the implementation of the 1996 agreement.[56]
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The Moro National Liberation Front makes use of a flag consist of a golden yellow star and crescent and akris on a red field. The star represents Truthfulness, Fairness, Equality and Tolerance while the crescent moon symbolizes wisdom. The kris symbolizes strength. The red field represents the Bangsamoro activism, decisiveness, persistence, frugality, and sacrifices in pushing forward the revolutionary struggle for survival,self-determination, and success. The flag design is secular despite having a star and crescent, a symbol often associated with Islam. The flag has not been standardized and many variation exists regarding the scaling of elements in the flag. A variant, with ashahadah on the star and crescent exists. The flag was also used for theBangsamoro Republik, a widely unrecognized state declared by the group.[57][unreliable source?]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Misuari, who is hiding after the hostilities in Zamboanga in 2013, maintains his position that only theSultanate of Sulu can pursue the negotiations for the Sabah claim. Respecting the fervent wish of the late Sultan MuhammadJamalul Kiram III to let alone the Islamic Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo (SSNB) to negotiate peacefully with the Muslim leaders of Malaysia to settle the controversial issue in order not to repeat the March 2013 Lahad Datu, Sabah incident, Chairman Misuari has dismissed the media reports as unfounded and without any ounce of truth involving the MNLF in any level talks. The MNLF, however, asserted that the Sabah case is a non-issue because it is the "home-base for different tribal groupings of Muslims from different regions of Southeast Asia that have enjoyed peaceful and harmonious co-existence with the Chinese and Christian populace in the area.
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