SUMMARY
The MNLF – HM (Moro National Liberation Front – Habier Malik faction) 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 dated 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-HM emerged.
MNLF – HM was a splinter faction of MNLF loyal to Habier Malik, an Islamic religious scholar turned rebel commander. Within MNLF, Malik had the status of a “renegade”, who did not fully subordinate himself to the group’s central command. For example, Malik’s forces had – unlike many other MNLF cadres - refused to completely disarm following the 1996 peace agreement, as they claimed that the government did not fulfill the economic and political commitments promised in the agreement. Malik had also been the top military commander of MNLF – NM, a MNLF splinter faction formed in 2001 after Nur Misuari was ousted from his position as MNLF chairman. After MNLF – NM was defeated by government forces in 2011 and Misuari himself imprisoned, Malik returned to his base on Jolo. MNLF - HM emerged as an independent actor in 2007, when Malik declared “jihad” against the Philippine government and began attacking its forces. Malik’s actions was motivated by a government attack against another MNLF commander and close ally of his, Khaid Adjibun. In a statement, Malik accused the government of making “false statements and assurances” and of violating the 1996 peace agreement. In addition, Malik demanded better conditions for the jailed Misuari.
In 2017, it was estimated that MNLF – HM included around 400 fighters. The group’s main area of operations was Jolo, the largest island in Mindanao’s Sulu Archipelago. MNLF – HM maintained camps in several locations in Jolo, such as Bitanag and Panamao.
The Government of Philippines and officials representing the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) believed that MNLF – HM provided shelter and support to the Islamist extremist organizations Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and Jemaah Islamiah. It may also be that Malik coordinated his violent activities with ASG. It should be noted that Malik himself denied having any links to ASG; in fact, he referenced these allegations as part of the motivation behind his 2007 decision to attack government forces.
After Nur Misuari was released from prison in 2008, Malik rejoined his forces; the exact date for this was not specified. It was however clear that MNLF – HM had ceased to exist as an independent actor by 2013, as Malik and his forces fought for Misuari’s MNLF – NM that year.
