The International Crisis Group (ICG), 13 July 2004
Southern Philippines Backgrounder: Terrorism and the Peace
Process
Singapore/Brussels, 13 July 2004: Ongoing links between Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) could put the peace process in the southern
Philippines at risk.
Southern Philippines Backgrounder: Terrorism and the Peace Process,* the latest
report from the International Crisis Group, documents the history of the JI-MILF
alliance, the depth of their cooperation in the past, and the state of their relationship
now.
"It is clear that JI members have worked out arrangements with individual MILF
commanders", says Sidney Jones, South East Asia Project Director at ICG. "The
question is whether the MILF leaders involved in negotiations with the Philippine
government know about or have the power to end those links". She said cooperation
between the two organisations varies depending on the local commanders concerned
but can involve training, logistical support, or joint operations.
The background report, which continues a series on terrorism in South East Asia,
provides detailed new evidence on how JI took root in Mindanao. It suggests that JI
leader Zulkifli, an Indonesian and graduate of the Ngruki religious school in central
Java, was the architect of some of the worst bombings in the Philippines over the last
two years, including the attack on Davao Airport in March 2003. Zulkifli, now in
detention in Malaysia, was the head of JI's subdivision, or wakalah, in Mindanao at the
time. Many other JI members are believed to be still at large there.
In analysing the MILF's ties to JI, the new report notes that there are no easy choices
for the Philippine government. "If the government moves directly against suspected
terrorists operating out of MILF-controlled territory, it risks an escalation of violence
and a breakdown of talks", says Robert Templer, ICG's Asia Program Director. "Yet
without a successful peace agreement, the region will continue to be marked by a
climate of lawlessness in which terrorism can thrive".
The report notes that one way out of this dilemma would be to immediately bring into
force a mechanism that both sides agreed in 2002 but never implemented, providing
for joint government-MILF cooperation against criminals taking refuge in MILF areas.
At the same time, the government needs to step up efforts to ensure that a workable
autonomy package is offered to the MILF. "Genuine and fully implemented autonomy
for Philippine Muslims is a sine qua non in winning the long-term war on terror in
Mindanao", the report concludes.
go to report or briefing
Click here to view the full report as a PDF file in A4 format.
Contacts: Dan Vexler (Brussels) +32 (0) 499 129 165
Jennifer Leonard (Washington) +1-202-785 1601
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