The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was founded in the jungles of Mindanao in 1984. The rebels demanded a Muslim state of their own, and over the years fought many battles with the Philippine Army. Tens of thousands of soldiers and rebels have been killed. Two years ago the Army destroyed the MILF’s sprawling base at Camp Abubakar, a training complex for several thousand men that had a mosque, a school and other facilities. Today the guerrillas are in a weak and defensive mode, spread out in small bases around Lanao del Sur, with no more than 400 rebels in each camp. Many of them are young people from farming families, serving the MILF cause part-time. They still carry U.S.-made rifles, still talk of jihad and of making raids against the Army. The MILF remains a modest military threat–but the group is now talking peace with Manila for the first time.
An outsider deserves much of the credit for the breakthrough. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has urged the MILF to settle its long dispute with the government, and two rounds of peace talks have been held in Kuala Lumpur; a new round is scheduled to commence this month. Mahathir has offered to help develop the Muslim provinces of Mindanao, which have the lowest per capita income in the Philippines, but his motive is not entirely selfless: he wants to stop the steady stream of Filipino Muslim migrants to his country. The rebels also believe that they can trust President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who’s more of a pragmatist than her predecessors.
The MILF isn’t going to get a Muslim state of its own. And it may not get much political autonomy, either. But lots of economic aid is beginning to flow into largely agricultural Mindanao. International aid agencies have already spent about $120 million on infrastructure and development programs in Mindanao, and an additional $114 million is forthcoming. President Arroyo has also vowed to boost spending. Jesus Dureza, chairman of the government negotiating panel, says that the talks “are not yet focused on a political settlement, but on development of the conflict areas.” Apparently, the guerrillas want some control over how the money is spent.
Manila doesn’t view the rebels as terrorists. Mohaqher Iqbal, a member of the MILF central committee, told NEWSWEEK that his group condemns the Abu Sayyaf. Jun Abubakar, chief of operations, says the American soldiers “are not our enemy.” Poverty is, and the MILF now seems to realize that more bloodshed won’t solve that problem. “We’ve matured a lot,” says Iqbal. After nearly 20 years of fruitless fighting, those are encouraging words.
