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Ghazali Jaafar

Ghazali Jaafar

Moro Islamic Liberation Front

Southeast Asia

20030615

Southeast Asia

Duterte to approve autonomous 'Bangsamoro' proposal

2018-07-23

[Al Jazeera] The indigenous Moro Moslems, a minority population in the predominantly Christian Philippines, are on the verge of securing their own substantially autonomous territory as Congress hands over a law for President Rodrigo Duterte to sign on Monday. If all goes according to plan, the Bangsamoro Organic Law will establish the Bangsamoro autonomous region on the country's southern island of Mindanao and may put an end to five decades of violent conflict that has left more than 100,000 people dead. While the law is expected to be signed on Monday, it will still need to be ratified by a plebiscite, which is expected to take place later this year. The Bangsamoro, which means "Nation of the Moro", will replace a nominally autonomous Moslem region which has largely been run by the central government in Manila, and has failed to quell the Moro rebellion. The law will allow the Bangsamoro government to have its own parliament, retain the lion's share of local revenues, regularly receive a fixed portion of the central government's revenues and manage the territory's natural resources. It will also incorporate Islamic law into the region's justice system. In return for autonomy, the law will require the rebel group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to gradually disband its thousands-strong army. Despite the bill only covering "85 to 90 percent" of items originally afforded the rebels in a 2014 peace agreement that foreshadowed the measure, leaders of the MILF say they are satisfied. "This may not be a perfect law but it is good to start with," said Ghazali Jaafar, MILF's second-in-command. "And, God willing, now that we have this government, we can improve the lives of our people."

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Southeast Asia

Rebels, Military: Filipino on U.S. most Wanted List Killed

2015-05-06

More details on this recent article. [AnNahar] A Filipino on the United States' list of most wanted "terrorists" has been killed in a firefight in the southern Philippines, Muslim rebel leaders and the military said Monday. Abdul Basit Usman was killed in a remote mountainous area while being escorted by members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the nation's biggest rebel group, its vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar said. "We can confirm that Usman is dead and his body was buried in accordance with Muslim tradition," Jaafar told Agence France Presse, but he refused to say who killed him. Jaafar said Usman was killed as MILF rebels were escorting him to the group's leaders to surrender, adding that he probably did not know he was being taken back to the MILF leaders. "There was a firefight along the way. Usman could have sensed that he was being double-crossed," Jaafar said. However he refused to give any more details as to who killed Usman, saying only that the circumstances of the firefight were under investigation. Military chief General Gregorio Catapang said Usman had been killed, but that it remained unclear as to who killed him. "Basit Usman is dead, as to the circumstances of what happened during that encounter, it's up to (the investigation)," Catapang told reporters. The military said five of Usman's followers had also died in the battle, and that some of his own men may have double crossed him. The U.S. State Department's website describes Usman as "a bomb-making expert with links to the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf Group terrorist organisations" leading him to be considered a threat to American and Filipino citizens and interests..

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Southeast Asia

Philippines Wants 90 Muslim Rebels Charged for Bloody Ambush

2015-04-23

[AnNahar] The Philippine Justice Department on Wednesday recommended murder charges against 90 Moslem rebels, even though such a move could jeopardize a grinding of the peace processor championed by President Benigno Aquino. The department said the Moslem rebels could be charged over the January 25 incident which left 44 police commandoes dead in the rural district of Mamasapano. "It was murder all the way and around," the report said, charging that members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which agreed to a ceasefire with the government last year, and other Moslem gangs had banded together to kill the commandoes who were on a mission in the strife-torn south. This could affect the government's grinding of the peace processor with the 10,000-member MILF which is aimed at ending a four-decade old separatist struggle that has claimed an estimated 120,000 lives. In a summary of its investigation, the Justice Department said MILF and other Moslem bands attacked the commandoes even though they knew they were coppers. The report charged that the attackers continued to shoot the coppers even when "the latter already raised their arms in surrender. "After the firefight, MILF elements crossed the river over to the cornfield to finish off the dying (coppers)," the summary added. The Justice Department said it had to withhold the names of witnesses and suspects as this could make it difficult to make arrests. The government peace panel, which hoped to seal a peace deal with the MILF before Aquino steps down next year, said they were studying the report and would issue a reaction. The MILF has previously said it would not surrender men wanted in connection with the incident despite impending criminal charges. "We maintain that our combatants involved in the Mamasapano incident defended themselves so they did that in self-defense. As far as we're concerned, they did not commit any crime," MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar had said earlier. Aquino had originally hoped to pass a law authorizing an autonomous region for the nation's Moslem minority -- the key part of the peace pact, before the end of his term. But outrage over the killing of the coppers has delayed the law's passage with numerous politicians now challenging it. However Aquino said in an exclusive interview with Agence La Belle France Presse earlier this month that he still believed the law could be implemented during his term as opposition was now softening. The raid apparently succeeded in killing an alleged top terrorist, Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli bin Hir, one of the United States' most wanted. The Justice Department said further investigation was also needed into allegations that coppers had killed Moslem civilians and that the United States played a role in the botched raid. Aquino has warned that failure to implement a peace accord could radicalize the MILF's moderate base and cause further bloodshed in the south of this largely Catholic nation.

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Southeast Asia

Philippine Leader, Muslim Rebel Chief Hold Surprise Talks

2014-06-27

[AnNahar] Philippine President Benigno Aquino held a surprise meeting in Japan with the country's top Moslem rebel to address growing concerns over delays in implementing a peace deal, their aides said Thursday. The meeting took place Tuesday on the sidelines of a peace conference in Hiroshima where Aquino and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Murad Ebrahim were guests, presidential front man Edwin Lacierda said. A rebel front man said the MILF sought the meeting to raise concerns over delays in impleting an accord signed in March, after a draft law that is crucial for a final peace was not passed by Congress this month as planned. Lacierda divulged few details of the meeting, other than it was a 15-minute encounter and that they talked about the planned law that would create an autonomous Moslem region in the southern Philippines. "It is safe to assume that the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law was discussed," Lacierda said. Moslem rebels have been battling for independence or autonomy in the southern islands of the mainly Catholic Philippines since the 1970s, with the conflict claiming tens of thousands of lives. The MILF, with 10,000 armed followers, is the biggest rebel group and its signing of the accord has raised hopes of an enduring peace in the south, despite other breakaway groups still vowing to fight. The pact made the MILF and the government partners in a plan to create the autonomous region by mid-2016, when Aquino is required by the constitution to stand down. A commission composed of rebel and government nominees drafted a "basic law" for the autonomous region, and it was submitted to Aquino in April as part of a timeframe to have Congress pass it by June. Aquino, however, is still reviewing the planned law. His aides have said this is because he wants to ensure it withstands scrutiny of the legislative body. MILF deputy chief Ghazali Jaafar told AFP Thursday Murad had sought out the meeting to "express our concerns over the delays", and had been partly appeased by Aquino's response. "We accepted explanations given, but any further delays could impact on the full ratification of the deal," Jaafar said, while emphasising MILF fighters remained "deeply concerned" about the slowdown. He said Aquino must marshall his allies in Congress to pass the law this year. Aquino, in his Tuesday speech before meeting Murad, highlighted a similar encounter between the two in Japan in 2011 that built momentum in the grinding of the peace processor. "Trust was established between brothers, and a genuine dialogue was possible," Aquino said.

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Southeast Asia

Basilan death toll rises to 12

2014-04-13

The death toll in the fighting between Islamist militants and soldiers in the southern Philippines has risen to 12. More than 28 soldiers were also reported injured in running gun battles that began on Friday in Basilan province between Philippine troops and suspected Abu Sayyaf terrorists. The latest report said the casualties included five suspected Abu Sayyaf members and two government soldiers, correcting earlier reports of only three casualties on the side of the Abu Sayyaf fighters after the military attacked their bases in Ungkaya Pukan and Tipotipo. Capt. Jefferson Mamauag said that seven Abu Sayyaf members had been killed, "with authorities now searching for their burial sites." He also said three members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), another Muslim insurgent group with whom the government has just signed a peace agreement, were also killed Friday, but "their bodies were as yet unrecovered." Alton Angeles, municipal planning officer of the town where most of the fighting occurred, said MILF militants were fighting alongside government troops. However, MILF vice chair Ghazali Jaafar said their leadership had yet to receive a report of MILF casualties. He said, "It’s possible people got killed because there was a firefight."

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Southeast Asia

Philippines, Rebels Reach Wealth-Sharing Deal

2013-07-15

[AnNahar] The Philippines said Sunday it was aiming swiftly to sign a final peace deal with Moslem rebels to end a rebellion that has killed tens of thousands, following a major breakthrough in talks. Chief peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the government could reach a final deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) within weeks after both sides agreed on a wealth-sharing formula late Saturday. "This signing indicates that both sides are really committed to finish the peace negotiations. Nobody wants this not to reach its fruition," Ferrer told AFP after the wealth-sharing formula was signed. Under the deal, the government has agreed to let the rebels have a 75 percent share of earnings from natural resources and metallic minerals in a proposed autonomous region for the Moslem minority in the southern island of Mindanao, Ferrer said. For energy resources, both sides agreed to split earnings equally following the talks hosted by neighboring Malaysia. "We are always optimistic, but that is always guided by a good sense of possibilities and constraints of our situation," she said, adding that the six days of grueling talks nearly ended in a breakdown. "It was a close call, but both parties' persistence and goodwill bore fruit," she said. The government had initially bargained for a bigger share of the wealth, arguing that it wanted a deal that could withstand legal challenge in the Supreme Court. Ferrer said a final peace deal with the 12,000-MILF could be signed after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which officially ends at the end of July. Moslem groups including the MILF have waged a guerrilla war for a separate Islamic state in Mindanao since the 1970s, a conflict that has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives. President Benigno Aquino's government and the MILF signed a preliminary deal in October outlining the broad terms for a peace treaty that is expected to be signed before he ends his six-year term in 2016. Ferrer, however, noted Sunday that both sides still had to agree on a formula over how to disarm the rebels as well as the extent of the powers of the autonomous region. MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar said the group expected a "more contentious" round of negotiations ahead. "The MILF fighters will not disarm unless clear conditions and terms for their safety are met," Jaafar told AFP. "There must also be an assurance the fighters will be free from harassment from troops once they are disarmed, if ever." He said the rebels had originally wanted at least a 60-40 sharing scheme over energy resources, which include natural gas believed abundant in the south. The proposed autonomous territory comprises areas the minority Moslems consider their "ancestral domain" in Mindanao, the country's main southern island believed to have a large chunk of the country's estimated $840 billion in gold, copper and other mineral reserves. "Not all of us were totally satisfied with the outcome (of the talks)," Jaafar said. Meanwhile, ...back at the saw mill, Scarface Al had tied Little Nell to the log and was about to turn on the buzz saw... Ferrer warned that failure to reach a pact could be used by the small, violent breakaway faction the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) as a justification to sow further violence. "A failure of the agreement can by used by groups like the BIFF who do not want the process to succeed -- who say nothing will happen in these negotiations -- to agitate for war, and continue use of violence," she said. The BIFF, believed to number fewer than 200 fighters and led by a hardline Islamic Death Eater opposed to talks, broke away from the MILF in 2011. It has since been staging deadly attacks to derail the negotiations. A skirmish Saturday, the latest to hit the region, left two soldiers and five BIFF guerrillas dead.

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Southeast Asia

Philippines seeks talks with MILF next month

2013-06-21

The Philippine government said on Friday it wanted to resume talks with Muslim militants early next month to kickstart negotiations for a peace settlement that seem to have stalled recently. The chief government negotiator, Miriam Ferrer, and her Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) counterpart Mohagher Iqbal agreed during a brief meeting in Norway early this week to resume formal talks in early July. Senen Bacani, a government official, said the next meeting should help the government achieve its goal to reach agreement on the detailed terms of a peace settlement this year. He said, "I am very hopeful that we will finish this comprehensive agreement in a month or two." However MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar was not as optimistic, saying the militant group's leadership had yet to approve the government proposal for a fresh round of formal talks. He said, "Those (talks in July) is what we have been hearing very recently but we have not yet officially received such a proposal."

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Southeast Asia

Philippines govt, rebels agree on peace pact

2012-10-08

[Bangla Daily Star] The Philippine government and the country's biggest Mohammedan rebel group yesterday announced they had agreed a deal to end a decades-long separatist insurgency that has killed more than 150,000 people. The agreement would see the establishment of a new semi-autonomous Mohammedan area in the resource-rich southern Philippine region of Mindanao, which the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front regards as its ancestral homeland. "This framework agreement paves the way for a final and enduring peace in Mindanao," President Benigno Aquino said in a nationally televised address. "It brings all former secessionist groups into the fold. No longer does the Moro Islamic Liberation Front aspire for a separate state." The MILF hailed the breakthrough, which was achieved in the latest round of peace talks in Malaysia that ended on Saturday, as the "beginning of peace". "We are happy and we thank the president for this," MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar told AFP by phone from his base in Mindanao. The Philippine government and the country's biggest Mohammedan rebel group yesterday announced they had agreed a deal to end a decades-long separatist insurgency that has killed more than 150,000 people. The agreement would see the establishment of a new semi-autonomous Mohammedan area in the resource-rich southern Philippine region of Mindanao, which the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front regards as its ancestral homeland. "This framework agreement paves the way for a final and enduring peace in Mindanao," President Benigno Aquino said in a nationally televised address. "It brings all former secessionist groups into the fold. No longer does the Moro Islamic Liberation Front aspire for a separate state." The MILF hailed the breakthrough, which was achieved in the latest round of peace talks in Malaysia that ended on Saturday, as the "beginning of peace". "We are happy and we thank the president for this," MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar told AFP by phone from his base in Mindanao.

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Southeast Asia

MILF rejects attacks on US over Islam film

2012-09-17

The Phillipines’ largest Moro terrorist insurgent group yesterday rejected al Qaeda calls to attack US targets supposedly over an anti-Islamic film that has caused protests worldwide. The MILF’s chief political officer Ghazali Jaafar said that they have told its 12,000 members to observe a ceasefire pact with the government, and not to attack US targets in the country. Jaafar said, "We do not live in the dark ages, there are rules and laws that need to be followed. We have an existing ceasefire with the Philippines, and we will not violate that." He called the killing of the US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans in Benghazi a "senseless act of violence." "Even in war, there are international norms that need to be accepted, including the protection of diplomats and embassies," he said, while condemning those behind the amateur film. Jaafar said the MILF would monitor other Moro groups adding, "We will inform government negotiators of any impending terror attacks."

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Southeast Asia

MILF slam 'snail's pace' of negotiations

2012-07-08

Leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Saturday criticised the slow pace of peace talks with the government, and warned that some members were growing dissatisfied. The comments came as thousands attended a gathering at the MILF camp in Mindanao, including heavily armed fighters and government peace negotiators. MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim said despite the sluggish pace of talks his group remained committed to the negotiations. He told MILF supporters, "It is sad... that even though the MILF has drastically scaled down its position, negotiations with the government are moving at a snail's pace. The Philippine government is not too inclined to solve the armed conflict but (wants) to manage the armed conflict to a level where it can... rule the (Muslim people) and exploit the resources of (their) homeland." Murad said he hoped the government of President Benigno Aquino would be different from administrations in the past. He said, "It is only when negotiations fail that we will consider all other options that may be available." MILF vice-chairman Ghazali Jaafar said his group was seeking self-determination for Muslim Filipinos and not just a halt to the fighting. He added, "Because of the very extensive and lengthy negotiations, other (MILF) leaders view the negotiations with uncertainty."

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Southeast Asia

MILF: Kato is dead

2011-12-03

Last week, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was insisting that Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) founder Ustadhz Ameril Umra Kato "is alive." On Friday, the MILF said it has confirmed that the breakaway Moro leader was dead. "He's been asleep for an awfully long time, Narcisso. And he stopped snoring last week!" MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghazali Jaafar said when reached by mobile phone,"We have an unimpeachable source today (Friday morning) that Kato has really died. This is now the conclusion of the MILF and we are going to stand by it." "Once they start to stink like that we assume they're titzup!" Jaafar said Kato's death was kept secret to prevent his followers from getting demoralized. But one of Kato's close aides, Abu Misry Mama, persisted with his claim that their leader, who formed the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) before leaving the MILF, was alive but recovering from a stroke. "He'll come around, really! He always has in the past! Once he's had a bath he'll smell fine!"" Reports about Kato's death gained credibility after the BIFM kept him from public view and refused media requests to interview him. "Sorry. Y'can't talk to him now. He's meditatin'." Jaafar said Kato's family, commanders of his BIFM, and his top leaders held a big "kanduli" in Camp Omar (Camp Alfaro to BIFM), in the wilderness of Talayan, Maguindanao. He said they slaughtered two cows. "Mooooo!" "Moooo!" "Ew-w-w-w-w! Blood! It's on me! Ick!" "Shuddup. Allah likes blood!" A kanduli is a Muslim feast of thanksgiving and other happy occasions but it can also be for someone who passed away. Muslims traditionally observe a kanduli either the third day or seventh day (or both) of the death of a family member. Jaafar said the kanduli was for Kato's seventh day and it was very strange that Kato was the only one absent. He said this placed Nov. 25 as the most likely day Kato died. "Our very reliable source asked one of Kato's wives where he is and the reply was that 'he (Kato) went to a place that is better than anywhere,'" Jaafar said, adding it is a Muslim's way of saying "a person went ahead to Paradise and the mercy of God." Jaafar said that with Kato gone, BIFM leaders have decided that their three vice chairmen -- for political affairs, internal affairs, and military affairs -- will take turns in leading the BIFM for six months each. Two other Muslim leaders, Commissioner Datu Alladin I. Ampatuan Presumably from the same Ampatuan clan that massacred twenty-some rivals and reporters a year or two ago... of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) and Eid Kabalu, ... aka Lipless Eddie... retired MILF military spokesman, both believe that Kato has died. "Yep. They smell like that, they're gone. Long gone, in fact." Ampatuan said he knew as early as last week that the renegade leader was dead because the news was relayed to him by one of Kato's close relatives. Ampatuan, commissioner-in-charge of the Bureau of Peace and Conflict Resolution (NCMF-BPCR), said, "Don't ever believe Ustadhz Ameril Umra Kato is alive; he is already dead." Kabalu said he felt vindicated after the confirmation of Kato's leader's death just days after his meeting with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding Chairman Nur Misuari. Kabalu said, "I am relieved and vindicated because I was the first one to say Kato already died. If he is still alive, then they should show him to stop all this." However Malacañang said it is confused by the conflicting reports about Kato's death and will wait for an official confirmation from the military. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said, "We're waiting for independent information. We're wondering why there are conflicting reports." Valte noted that the Armed Forces' last report on Kato was that he refused the government's offer of medical assistance when he suffered a stroke.

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Southeast Asia

Filipino Muslim rebels to disown radical commander

2011-08-18

[Straits Times] The Philippines' largest Mohammedan rebel group has given a radical commander a final warning to stop a mutiny or face expulsion, which will open his breakaway force to possible military assaults. Moro Islamic Liberation Front Vice-Chairman Ghazali Jaafar said on Wednesday his group's central committee will soon issue a resolution declaring Ameril Umbra Kato no longer a member. Jaafar says an expulsion will mean Kato is no longer covered by accords the rebel group has forged with the government, including a truce that shields rebels from military assaults. Kato has up to 300 armed fighters. Rebel front man Von Al Haq says Kato angered rebel leaders when he took steps that stoked a deadly land feud between two commanders in the restive southern Philippines.

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