Philippines–Mindanao

The 1996 Peace Agreement between the Republic of the Philippines government and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was a milestone in many ways: all previous attempts to negotiate an end to 24 years of civil war had failed.

Implementation of the peace deal did not end the violence but the efforts and innovations in peacemaking in Mindanao offer invaluable examples for people working to resolve conflicts around the world.

Accord 6 contains analysis on Islamic diplomacy, civil society roles and development.

Updated in 2003 with the help of the Mindanao State University Centre for Peace Studies, the final two new articles cover political and military engagements between the government and another armed group and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Also documented are monitoring mechanisms such as the Local Monitoring Teams and civil society peace initiatives including ‘spaces for peace’.

This issue of Accord was edited by Mara Stankovitch.

[Accord issue 6] provided invaluable background on the way the talks were progressing.

Paul Clifford, adviser in the peace talks in Philippines-Mindanao, 2003