SUMMARY
The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement is a Philippine rebel group which was created by a splinter from the separatist rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2011.
The group's founder and first leader, 65-year old Ameril Umbra Kato, was a prominent member of MILF since 1993 and the commander of one of its elite forces, the 105th Base Command based in Maguindanao province. In 2008, after the collapse of the MOA-AD agreement between MILF and the Philippine government (for more information see the state-based conflict over the territory Mindanao), violence flared in Maguindanao and Umbra Kato was one of the commanders involved. Although described as rogue, renegade and lawless by the government, Katos forces remained part of MILF and both parties confirmed that Kato was loyal to the MILF leadership. MILF commanders have regularly been described as rogue by the government. This has been a way to justify that the military can launch offensives against them without jeopardizing the ceasefire agreement with MILF.
However, in May 2010, Umbra Kato was replaced as the 105ths commander following rumours that he was planning to form his own group. In December 2010, Kato released a video in which he announced the formation of the BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters), although saying that his forces were still part of MILF.
In February 2011, the MILF leadership first said that they were negotiating with Umbra Kato and that he was still loyal to the MILF, but changed their statement a few days later claiming that he was no longer part of the group. In August, Umbra Kato stated that he planned to continue the struggle for a Moro homeland, and that he had left MILF because they were wasting time negotiating with the government. He also changed the name of the group to BIFM (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement). The MILF leadership offered BIFM to rejoin the group in September, but they rejected the offer saying that "The MILF, as an organization, no longer abides by the principles of Islam in pushing for Moro rule in Mindanao. It is now our group that has to carry on that kind of struggle". In October MILF formally expelled Umbra Kato.
Umbra Kato died from pneumonia in April 2015 and was superseded by Ismael Abu Bakar.
It remains unclear how many rebels have left MILF for BIFM; Umbra Kato has claimed that the group has 5000 followers while other estimates range from 200 to 1000.
The group became part of IS on 20 April 2016, and their activity after that date is recorded in the conflict over the territory called Islamic State.
BIFM has been involved in the state-based and non-state categories of UCDP organised violence.
