The Philippines has experienced the longest sustained insurgency of any Asian Country in history 11.
The mass migration of non-Muslims to the south resulted in a dramatic increase of violent confrontations
between the two armed groups. As conflicts between Muslims and Christian settlers increased, the area
of Mindanao was transformed into “the wild west in the south” 12.
Growing concerns regarding government support for anti-Muslim forces lead to the creation of the Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF), the stated objective of which was the creation of an independent Islamic
state in the traditional Moro homelands of Mindanao.