MILF Pauses Peace Engagement, Pressures Palace to Name Chief Negotiator

DAVAO CITY (April 13) — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has declared a “temporary halt” in its engagement with the national government, warning that the absence of a duly appointed chief negotiator is stalling the fragile Bangsamoro peace process at a critical juncture.

Speaking on the sidelines of a solidarity event in Davao City, Mohagher Iqbal, vice chair of the MILF and head of its Peace Implementing Panel, said the group cannot proceed with substantive discussions without an authorized counterpart from the government.

“Temporary halt is the right term,” Iqbal said, underscoring that the group’s position is clear: appoint a full-fledged chief negotiator immediately.

“How can we talk to the other side?” he asked. “Especially the chief negotiator who has the authority to commit—it is very important.”

‘A Dance That Needs Two’

The impasse comes as the peace process marks the anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the landmark accord that ended decades of armed conflict in Mindanao and laid the groundwork for the Bangsamoro autonomous government.

In a March 12 statement, MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim lamented that the MILF panel now “stands alone in this dance that was meant for two,” following the resignation of the government’s Peace Implementing Panel chair.

The group described the vacancy as a “gaping hole” in the peace architecture—one that has effectively frozen mechanisms designed to operate on joint decision-making and mutual commitments.

A Process Stalled at a Critical Phase

The timing of the halt raises concern.

The Bangsamoro transition remains in a sensitive phase, with key normalization, governance, and political milestones still underway. Without an empowered government negotiator:

• Formal agreements cannot be concluded
• Implementation decisions are delayed
• Trust-building mechanisms weaken

The MILF stressed that engagement cannot proceed with a “headless counterpart,” noting that the peace framework relies on officially mandated representatives on both sides.

Pressure Mounts on Malacañang

The development puts renewed pressure on the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to fill the vacant post and restore momentum to the peace process.

While the halt is described as temporary, it signals a deeper risk: that prolonged inaction could erode gains achieved since the signing of the CAB and slow down the broader normalization agenda in the Bangsamoro region.

Fragile Gains, Unfinished Work

For now, the MILF has stopped short of withdrawing from the peace process entirely. But the message is unmistakable—progress cannot continue without a functioning counterpart.

As one of the country’s most significant peace agreements enters a delicate phase, the standoff highlights a basic but urgent reality: peace, like negotiation, requires two sides fully present at the table.