Moros National Liberation Front
The Moro National Liberation Front (Engl. Moro National Liberation Front MNLF ) is a rebel and guerrilla group since 1970 in the south of the Philippines called for an independent Muslim state Bangsamoro fights.
It is now recognized as a political organization in the Philippines and internationally through the organization of the Islamic Conference . This allows the MNLF to represent the Moros ethnic group at this conference , but only in the status of an observer.
The group is an important party in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao .
prehistory
The history of Islam in the Philippines began in the early 14th century with the arrival of Arab and Malay traders in the southwestern part of the Philippines.
Around 1380, Karim ul 'Makhdum, the first Muslim missionary came to the Sulu Archipelago and brought Islam to the Philippines . In the following decades large sultanates emerged in the south of the Philippines , such as the Sultanate of Maguindanao and the Sultanate of Sulu .
When the Spaniards claimed the Philippines as their colony in 1565 and thus annexed New Spain, Islam was not yet so deeply rooted that it was not difficult for them to convert the Muslim population to Christianity. In addition, the Christianization of the Philippines was carried out largely peacefully, among other things, animistic practices were largely tolerated, some of which have survived to this day. Only in the south was Islam able to continue to find followers and there formed a basis for the Islamic faith.
In the course of the 20th century, a strong wave of immigration began from the northern island groups of the Visayas and Luzón to the less populated areas of Mindanao . The number of immigrants increased continuously until 1937. The flood of resettlers stagnated due to the Second World War , but rose again significantly after 1950. By the newcomers, the locals were pushed further and further into the hinterland and into the plateau of their homeland. The religious and cultural differences between the ethnic groups led in many regions to increasing tensions between the Christian and Muslim ethnic groups.
In this climate of civil turmoil, the long-lasting irritation between the Moros and the Christians escalated.
In September 1972, due to the increasing conflict for Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, martial law was proclaimed and all settlers were asked to use armed force to defend themselves against the emerging rebellion of the traditionally armed Moros.
founding
In the early 1970s, the Moro National Liberation Front was founded by Abul Khayr Alonto and Jallaludin Santos with the intention of creating an independent state of Bangsamoro , a nation of the Moro people. Together with Muslim congressmen as advisors, the organization recruited young Muslims from the various Filipino ethnic groups.
Jallaludin Santos was particularly fond of Nur Misuari , a professor at the University of the Philippines, and convinced Abul Khayrman that her group could benefit from his charisma. Abul Khayr then persuaded Nur to join the group. Most members and supporters favored Abul Khayr as chairman, but the latter declined and instead nominated Misuari for this position, who was then also elected.
The popular uprising
In its early stages, the rebellion was a series of isolated uprisings that quickly expanded in impact and intensity. Only Misuari managed to assemble most of the partisans of the Moro fighters and integrate them into the MNLF system.
In order to achieve the goal of its own Moro state , the group began to expand its armed operations in the south of the Philippines. This ultimately led to an expansion of the military conflict, the popular uprising. The group was supported with weapons and ammunition from donors from Libya and Malaysia .
During the heyday between 1973 and 1975, the MNLF's military arm, the Bangsamoro Army, had 30,000 armed fighters. The destruction and losses in the civil and military sectors were enormous. It is estimated that the clashes claimed more than 50,000 victims. Many people were injured, had to flee or were displaced from their homes in the course of the fighting, attacks and military actions.
The government increasingly responded with non-military tactics, such as announcing the implementation of economic aid programs and political concessions. At the same time, she stoked disputes within the MNLF by promising the renegades money, land and amnesty. These programs and the simultaneous decline in arms deliveries from Malaysia paralyzed the continuation of the fight on the part of the Moro fighters. In 1976 the conflict finally stalled.
The Tripoli Treaty
In an effort to end hostilities, the Philippine government decided in 1976 to begin peace negotiations with the MNLF. First talks began between the government and the Moroz under the auspices of the Organization of the Islamic Conference . The negotiations resulted in an agreement between the Philippine government and the MNLF, which was signed in the Libyan capital Tripoli on December 15, 1976. The treaty guaranteed the Moros an autonomous area in the south of the Philippines under Muslim control after the implementation of a ceasefire.
The resting phase did not last long, because as early as 1977 internal disputes began in the group between the moderate and the conservative wing, for whom the results did not go far enough.
Unsatisfied with the implementation of the negotiation results by the Philippine government, the fighting flared up again and again. This was followed by arguments about the way in which the actual main concern, the establishment of an independent Moro state, could be enforced. Different views on the political goals, traditional rivalries between the various ethnic groups and the competitive thinking of some of the organization's leaders played a driving role.
As a result of infighting within the MNLF, the conservative followers broke away from the organization and joined under Salamat Hashim, the Islamic Liberation Front Moros new (Moro Islamic Liberation Front, MILF) together, which became an independently operating organization. Other defectors from the MNLF formed the Bangsa Moro Liberation Organization.
In the following decades there was hardly any calm in the Muslim-dominated regions in Mindanao and Sulu and there were repeated armed clashes between government troops and Muslim rebels.
The further peace negotiations
In 1986 the new President Corazon Aquino resumed negotiations with the MNLF, the strongest of the three factions, to find a solution to the persistent problem in the south of her country. In September of this year, initial discussions took place as part of a renewed ceasefire, which was followed by further discussions under the supervision of the Organization of the Islamic Conference .
In January 1987 the MNLF signed an agreement, which the MILF refused to accept. After efforts by Filipino diplomats rejected the request for membership of the MNLF in the Organization of the Islamic Conference, MNLF officials declared in February 1988 that their uprising would continue.
In the late 1980s, the Philippine government then presented a plan to establish an autonomous Muslim district without the cooperation of the MNLF. In 1987 the new Autonomous Region district in Muslim Mindanao was established and in November 1989 a referendum was held in the provinces and cities of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago , with the result that only two provinces from Mindanao - Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur - and two others of the island provinces - Sulu and Tawi-Tawi - wanted to join this district by a majority. The official inauguration of the ARMM took place on November 6, 1990.
The final peace deal
The final peace agreement was finally signed on September 2, 1996 between President Fidel Ramos and Nur Misuari in Manila. In it, the MNLF confirmed that it was turning away from its original goal of establishing its own Moro state. Only Misuari was subsequently elected and installed as chairman of the ARMM .
In the eyes of the MILF and other former comrades in arms, however, this signing was seen as a surrender, which led to many members of the MNLF defiling to the MILF or joining even more radical groups such as the Abu Sayyaf .
Only Misuari , the leader of the MNLF, accuses the government of disregarding this peace agreement, which is why the Moros National Liberation Front began again with battles against the government , which continue to this day.