Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

MORO LIBERATION FRONT • 441who thought the MLF would jeopardize their more attainable goalsof gaining civic equality for Muslims and limited autonomy.Misuari agreed to a 16-point accord with President FerdinandMarcos in 1976 that established a cease-fire and provided for a referendumin April 1977 in the 13 disputed provinces. As Christiansformed majorities in eight of these provinces, the bid for Muslimautonomy was overwhelmingly rejected at the polls. The MLF neverrecovered from this moral defeat. Sporadic violations of the ceasefireoccurred, including the killings of Brigadier General Bautista and34 unarmed soldiers in February 1977.Internally the MLF splintered into factions. Rivals of Misuarisought some sort of accommodation with the Philippine government,while more radical factions, including the Moro Islamic LiberationFront (MILF) and the smaller Abu Sayyaf Group, led by AbdulrajikAbubakar Janjalani, believed the original goals of the MLF weretoo limited and broke away from the MLF group in 1991, intendingto create an Islamic state. Misuari continued to seek aid from Libyaand later from Iran following its Islamic revolution, while the Marcosgovernment succeeded in co-opting the local Muslim aristocracy aswell as Misuari’s rivals in the MLF. During the period from 1984 to1986, when the central government was in some disarray due to thedomestic revolution against Marcos, Misuari’s followers made verylimited gains in the south. Their new tactic, however, of kidnappingand holding foreigners as hostages alienated much of the internationalsupport they had previously enjoyed. In 1986 the new Philippinepresident, Corazon Aquino, signed a truce with the MLF, afterwhich violence substantially subsided.In April 1995 an Abu Sayyaf unit of 200 rebels attacked the city ofIpil in Mindanao, looting and setting stores on fire before retreating,having killed 52 civilians. The timing of the attack coincided withgovernment talks with the main MLF group that the Abu Sayyafleader Janjalani sought to sabotage. On 19 August 1996 negotiationsbetween the government and the MLF led to a compromise to allowthe MLF a role in the creation of a Southern Philippine Council forPeace and Development that would allow for limited autonomy. On2 September 1996 President Fidel Ramos traveled to the town ofMalabang in Mindanao to sign a peace accord with Nur Misuari toend the 26-year rebellion and create a four-province AutonomousRegion of Muslim Mindanao. Misuari agreed to cease secessionist