SUMMARY
The MNLF – NM (Moro National Liberation Front - Nur Misuari faction; alternatively MNLF Misuari Breakaway Group, MNLF-MBG) was a Moro rebel group involved in a territorial conflict against the Government of Philippines over the Mindanao region. The Moro insurgency in the Philippines dates back to the 1970s, when the MNLF initiated an armed struggle to create an independent Mindanao. MNLF’s armed campaign was brought to an end in the 1990s following negotiations with the Philippine government. A peace agreement signed in 1996 included the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), with MNLF leader Nur Misuari as its governor. However, other Moro armed groups – most prominently MILF – continued the armed struggle in Mindanao, which led to protracted fighting and multiple rounds of new negotiations also after 1996; it was in this context that MNLF-NM emerged.
MNLF – NM was created in 2001, after it splintered from the original MNLF that year; the group was comprised of ex-MNLF members loyal to Nur Misuari. The split was caused by an internal power struggle, in which MNLF’s long-standing chairman Misuari was forces from power by a rival faction known as “Executive Council of 15” (EC-15). By 2001, Misuari’s tenure as governor of ARMM was up, and he was not prepared to lose his position to a candidate from the EC-15, an option favored by the government in Manila. As such, Misuari was accused of corruption, and subsequently removed from the position as MNLF chairman, with the EC-15 seizing control over the group. After this, Misuari declared the 1996 peace agreement void, and his faction attacked government positions. This uprising failed, and Misuari fled to Malaysia, but was extradited and subsequently detained by Philippine authorities; he was released in 2008, after the rebellion charges against him were dropped. In 2013, Misuari’s faction attempted to declare an independent Moro state in Zamboanga City. This move was likely a protest against ongoing negotiations between the Philippine government and MILF to create a new autonomous region – “Bangsamoro” – in Mindanao.
As indicated above, MNLF – NM was comprised of ex-MNLF commanders and cadres that had opted to remain loyal to Misuari. Important commanders of the group included Habier Malik, Khaid Ajibon, and “Sasiyal”. Malik was the group’s top military commander, and Misuari utilized his influence in order to attract support from MNLF’s armed wing (the “Bangsa Moro Army”) stationed in the Sulu Archipelago. Malik’s Sulu force was formally dubbed the “Jabal Uhud Islamic Task Force”; in general, the Sulu Archipelago was MNLF – NM’s primary area of operation. It was estimated that the group had around 600 fighters in 2001; however, the Philippine Armed Forces claimed that the group may have numbered as many as 3200. By 2013, MNLF – NM had between 180 and 300 active fighters.
The MNLF – NM was known to have received direct military support from the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG. In 2013, the MNLF – NM was joined by forces that had functioned as a separate faction during Misuari’s captivity, namely MNLF – HM.
