Armed Muslim Separatist Rebellion in Southeast Asia: Persistence, Prospects, and Implications

Abstract

The persistence of armed Muslim separatist rebellion in Southeast Asia is demonstrated by the ongoing rebellions in Aceh and Mindanao. A strong regional identity infused with Islam has been a binding factor in these separatist movements. Their persistence demonstrates the failure of Indonesia and the Philippines in achieving legitimacy for their post-independence political structures as well as continued internal weakness. The prospects for their quick and peaceful resolution are not good. The external dimension of Muslim separatism has heightened mistrust among states in the region and raised apprehensions over the broader issue of Islamic fundamentalism and the implications for the region should Aceh and Mindanao achieve secession.

Can’t We Just Talk? Reputational Concerns and International Intervention in Sri Lanka and Indonesia (Aceh)

“…As in the Sri Lankan case, both material and ideational factors have contributed to the confl ict. Diverse grievances have helped create a strong in-group Acehnese identity and suspicion towards the government (Tan 2000;Anderson 1999;Aspinall 2007).…”

Signals of Reconciliation: Institution-Building and the Resolution of Civil Wars

“…Negotiations began in 1993 under the auspices of the Indonesian government and the Organization of Islamic Conferences following the mutual commitment of Manila and the MNLF to a ceasefire (Tan 2000:274). The MNLF's attempt at peace almost immediately stirred up opposition among individuals and groups both within and outside the rebel organization.…”

“…The MNLF's attempt at peace almost immediately stirred up opposition among individuals and groups both within and outside the rebel organization. In terms of opposition from within the MNLF, Andrew Tan (2000:274) reports that a number of MNLF commanders refused to accept the ceasefire and were implicated in a series of bombing attacks that had the intention of bringing the negotiations to a rapid and unsuccessful conclusion. A less spectacular but still consequential demonstration of the costs of conciliation to the MNLF was evidence that the ceasefire had the unintended result of attracting new adherents to the MILF and other militant Muslim groups, with many joining in opposition to the efforts to develop a peace deal (Tan 2000:275).…”

“…In terms of external challenges to the MNLF, it is notable that a relatively new rebel organization grew in prominence with the start of peace negotiations and offered an additional challenge to the authority of the MNLF. Abu Sayaff, organized in 1991, engaged in an upsurge of violence between 1993 and 1995 (Tan 2000:274). This organization shares the MILF's interest in creating a separate Muslim state.…”

Fragmented Ethnopolitical Social Representations of a Territorial Peace Agreement: The Mindanao Peace Talks

“…Findings are examined in the light of ethnopolitical divides that emerge among apparently united nonmigrant groups, as peace agreements address territorial solutions. Research results are likewise discussed in relation to other tribally contoured social landscapes that carry hidden, yet fractured ethnic narratives embedded in a larger war storyline.Keywords: Mindanao, territorial conflict, ethnic identities, peace talks, social representations, hierarchical evocation methodThe southern island of Mindanao in the Philippines has been the politico-military arena of a longstanding territorial conflict (Bertrand, 2000;Buendia, 2005) often described as a Muslim-Christian clash (Milligan, 2001;Tan, 2000). However, Mindanao is not only the Philippine hotbed of territorial conflict, it is also a region in which several peace initiatives have taken place.…”