The philippine state and moro separatism

Page 1

THE PHILIPPINE STATE AND MORO RESISTANCE: DYNAMICS OF A PERSISTENT CONFLICT∗

In the last 35 years, the integrity of the present Philippine nation-state has been challenged by Moro separatism led by two major armed groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Armed conflict between the MNLF and the government intensified in the 1970s. Since then, three administrations forged agreements with the MNLF, a key feature of which was the institution of an autonomous regional government. The new initiatives and the democratic transition that took place with the end of the authoritarian regime in 1986 have not brought lasting peace to Mindanao. Today, the MILF has emerged as the major Moro rebel group. Peace talks with the MILF began in 1997 but have been seriously marred by renewed fighting. Other armed groups like the Abu Sayyaf operate in the region, resulting in a high degree of violence in recent years, and the revival of US influence in national security affairs. Why does armed conflict persist in this part of southern Philippines? To understand why, this paper will examine the nature and dynamics of this persistent armed conflict between the Philippine state and the Moro separatists. It will survey the developments leading to the conflict as well as the efforts that have been undertaken to resolve it. This wide scope is broken down into the following sections: Key Conflict Actors, Conflict Causes, Conflict Dynamics, Political Negotiations, and Regional Autonomy and Governance. The discussion mainly provides a situational analysis of the conditions that generated and sustain ethnic mobilization, but also puts emphasis on the role of human agents who have articulated and  This paper was published under the same title in Kamarulzaman Askandar and Ayesah Abubakar (ed.), The Mindanao Conflict (Penang, Malaysia: The Southeast Asian Conflict Studies Network, 2005). 1


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.