Islamic Liberation Front of the Moros
The Moros Islamic Liberation Front (MILF, Moro Islamic Liberation Front , also Moro Islamic Liberation Front ) is an active movement in the southern Philippines . The area claimed by the MILF is called Bangsamoro and includes Mindanao , the Sulu Archipelago , Palawan , Basilan and neighboring islands around a third of the entire Philippines. Muslims make up about 5% (about 5 million) of the total population of the Philippines (about 100 million).
The Muslim agitation on the southern Philippine islands is partly the result of earlier Islamic expansion history, partly the Spanish and American colonization, and above all the division of the generations. Many younger Muslims wanted a modern Islamic society. The reformers were divided among themselves on the one hand in moderate, who act within the political system without violence, and on the other hand in militant guerrilla fighters .
The radical Muslims in Bangsamoro see themselves in a jihad against the government in Manila , which they see as a continuation of their struggle against the Spaniards and Christians since their arrival in 1521. Shortly before that time, however, Islam had only reached the southern Philippine islands. The basic understanding of the Muslim fighters aims the "old" Sultanate of Cebu , Jolo , etc., including the possessions of the "old" Sultanate of Brunei , so the once maximum field of Islamic expansion around the Sulu Sea to and the southern Philippines in a newly the creating Islamic State, including the areas of Sarawak and Sabah that are Malaysian . Such hegemonic efforts occasionally have interested parties in Manila in international conflict cases, who refer to “old claims” and earlier conditions as grounds for territorial claims etc. in disputes.
The MILF accuses the government in Manila of a Christian settlement program that removes Muslims from certain offices and puts them at a fundamental disadvantage. She was also accused of genocide against Moro Muslims .
Resistance to the Philippine government initially focused on the Moros National Liberation Front (MNLF), which emerged as a result of the Jabidah massacre in the late 1960s . The group called for the establishment of an independent Islamic state, Moro, and carried out acts of terrorism and murders to reinforce their ideas. The central government rejected this request and sent troops to Moroland to suppress the unrest. The MILF was founded in 1977 when Salamat Hashim split off from the MNLF, which had taken a more moderate course.
In January 1987, the MNLF accepted the government's offer of partial autonomy . The MILF, on the other hand, declined. This made the MILF the largest separatist organization in the Philippines. A treaty ending all hostilities was signed in July 1997, but that agreement was broken in 2000 by the Joseph Estrada government . The MILF initially declared jihad, but became more accessible, especially because of its ties to Abu Sajaf and al-Qaeda . A ceasefire agreement has been signed with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo . The number of MILF supporters is estimated at 12,000 members. The group itself indicates a strength of almost 90,000 "well-armed" men as in 1998.
Despite promising peace negotiations, MILF fighters attacked government forces in Maguindanao in January 2005, killing at least 23 people. Led by Andul Rahman Binago , a hundred MILF rebels surrounded the soldiers and are also said to have killed the wounded. The combined forces of MILF, Abu Sofia and Abu Sajaf became involved in the fighting when government forces fired 105 howitzers at the rebels . Thousands of civilians in Maguindanao have been evicted from their homes as a result.
The MILF denied responsibility for the attack and tried to connect with Binago. A spokesman said that a relative of Binago's was recently killed by government forces, which could be a reason for their actions. The incident raised fears that peace brokering could be fruitless for Mindanao if the MILF is not in control of its own fighters. The MILF denies any association with the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group , although it is believed that Jemaah Islamiyah may have provided training opportunities in areas it controls.
In October 2012, President Benigno Aquino III announced a peace treaty with the MILF. However, the peace negotiations were massively disrupted by the Moros National Liberation Front by occupying the city of Zamboanga City . The contract, which also provides for the establishment of an autonomous region of Bangsamoro, was signed on March 27, 2014 by Aquino and the leader of the MILF, Murad Ebrahim .
Web links
- MILF Central Committee on Information (English)
- Sven Hansen: First discussions after six years. Search for peace in the Philippines. In: the daily newspaper . February 14, 2011, accessed February 17, 2011 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Ceasefire in Mindanao , taz, August 8, 2001, accessed November 20, 2012
- ↑ Spiegel: Philippines make peace with Moro Islamic Liberation Front
- ^ Dpa: Peace Agreement: Philippine Government makes peace with rebels. In: Zeit Online. October 7, 2012, accessed October 9, 2012 .
- ↑ http://www.taz.de/Kaempfe-auf-den-Philippinen/!123407/
- ↑ Philippines: Government signs peace pact with rebels . Spiegel Online, March 27, accessed the same day.