ABSTRACT
The peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front made major strides forward in 2018. The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters were the most active, engaging in major clashes with the Philippines (AFP) in Maguindanao and North Cotabato. The Moro insurgency began in 1972, following earlier armed uprisings by Moro Muslim rebels against Spanish, American and Japanese colonisers. The Moro National Liberation Front was the first group to fight for an independent homeland for western Mindanao’s Moro Muslim population. The Armed Forces of the AFP, which appointed Lieutenant-General Benjamin Madrigal as its commander in December 2018, has 125,000 combatants serving across the army, navy and air force and a 50,000-strong reserve force organised in Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Units. The Moro National Liberation Front was founded in 1972 with the aim of creating an independent Moro state.
