Moro Islamic Liberation Front

Also known as M.I.L.F., MILF

group based in Mindanao, Philippines seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people

Key facts

Also known as: Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF)
Leader: Al-Hadj Murad Ibrahim , Sheikh Hashim Salamat (former)
Dates of operation: 1977 – 27 March 2014 (Permanent ceasefire)
Split from: Moro National Liberation Front
Country: Philippines
Motives: Independence of the Bangsamoro region (formerly) Establishment of a region with greater autonomy than the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ( Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao )
Headquarters: Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat , Maguindanao del Norte
Newspaper: Luwanran
Active regions: Mindanao , Philippines
Ideology: Moro autonomy , Islamism , Islamic democracy
Status: Inactive (as an armed group) Active (As A Political Organisation)

Article

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; Arabic: جبهة تحرير مورو الإسلامية, romanized: Jabha Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyya) is an Islamist militant group based in Mindanao, Philippines, which split from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1977. It seeks to achieve autonomy for the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao, the Sulu Archipelago, Palawan, Basilan, and other neighbouring islands. The armed wing of the group was the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), although the name of its parent organization, the MILF, was often used to refer to the BIAF.

In July 2018, the Philippine government passed the Bangsamoro Organic Law, giving more autonomy to Muslims. In return, MILF announced that it would disarm its 30,000 fighters.