Donate NowMisuari’s men fought against government forces until 1976 when the first peace deal known as the Tripoli Accord was negotiated to address grievances about loss of land and lack of Muslim political representation in Manila. It took the burning of the entire city of Jolo and the loss of more than 100,000 lives to get both sides to limp to the negotiating table. After intense, more conventional battles tapered off in the mid-1970’s, the MNLF and the newly-emerged Moro Islamic Liberation Front turned to guerrilla warfare to achieve their stated goal of independence.
Although they are two very different organizations, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayyaf split off from the MNLF because they wanted an independent Mindanao to be governed by shariah law. I’ll save this for another blog.
Misuari eventually accepted a final peace package that included autonomy in four of Mindanao’s Muslim majority provinces and one city. It was a far cry from what he initially wanted-autonomy for all of Mindanao’s13 provinces. The government offered him a rosy seat at the head of the ARMM (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao) and dumped into this lap tens of millions of dollars in reconstruction and development aid. Misuari also chaired the Southern Philippine Council for Peace and Development which meant he managed all money coming into ARMM. Why bite that hand that feeds you? Opponents say he enriched himself with cash meant to go toward rehabilitating war-torn areas.
So where does Malik come into play? This is definitely not the first time Malik has triggered rumbles in the jungle. Malik is a diehard Misuari loyalist. He helped his beleagured boss stage a bloody rebellion in 2001 when the MNLF leader realized he might lose control over the governorship of ARMM. Misuari’s men went on a rampage in Manila and paraded hostages through the streets of Zamboanga in front of cameras. Down in Jolo, Malik’s men attached the 104th brigrade soon afterwards. They almost breached the camp but lost more than 100 men. Misuari fled to Malaysia, but was picked up a month later and jailed in Manila on charges of insurrection. In February 2005, Malik made headlines again when he led yet another uprising that left 37 soldiers dead, including Lt. Col. Dennis Villanueva, in Panamao, Sulu. And just two months ago, the military accused him of illegally detaining a Filipino general named Dolorfino who had gone to try to talk some sense into the renegade leader.
Obstensibly, Malik and Misuari want the government to deliver on its promises of greater autonomy for Mindanao and pull government troops out of Sulu. Malik is probably flexing his muscles to pressure for the release of Misuari and show that the MNLF is still a force to be reckoned with.
As of now, Malik is on the run. His weary band of 300 mujahideen are up against 5,000 Filipino troops and don’t have much island space in which to hide. The military brass says Malik recently linked up with Abu Sayyaf in order to survive daily artillery bombardments. The MNLF has unofficially called of its members back to arms. This could encompass tens of thousands of people because it is thought one of every 10 men owns a gun in Mindanao.
The birthplace of the Muslim rebellion is bleeding again.