More than 11,000 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) took their first ever special qualifying exams to join the Philippines National Police (PNP).

The test will give an opportunity for MILF and MNLF members to join the country’s police force and it is a part of the government’s peace agreement with the two former extreme Islamic rebel groups.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is the largest militant organisation in the Philippines and seeks autonomy for Filipino Muslims. The MILF split from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1977, although it was generally inactive and did not call itself the MILF until 1984.

The MILF controls territory in the southern Philippines, governed by Shariah law. It has generally focused on political negotiation, but it has a significant history of terrorism and militancy. In 2014, the MILF concluded peace negotiations with the Philippine government for an autonomous region in the southern Philippines, to be called the Bangsamoro. The MILF is in the process of gradual disarmament.

also read

Iran-Greece oil tanker crisis – Greek Court overrules decision of seizure of Iranian oil in Karystos