However, in 2001, he was ousted as MNLF chair by his colleagues in the MNLF leadership and replaced as ARMM governor. Nur Misuari, the leader of the rebel group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) signed a peace treaty in 1996 that allowed the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Misuari became its first governor. Nur Misuari, chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, and governor of ARMM from 1996 to 2002.Īffirming the statements of MNLF Director for Advocacy John Petalcorin that Nur Misuari and the MNLF has no participation in the Zamboanga Siege, the CNN Philippines interviewed Nur Misuari and reported that "Nur Misuari denies charges linking him to the 2013 Zamboanga Siege". Commander Malik, reportedly the leader of the MNLF forces, remains at large, and several skirmishes are still being regularly reported. On September 28, the government declared an end of military operations in Zamboanga City. The clashes caused the displacement of more than 100,000 people, the occupation of several barangays (villages) by the MNLF, the deaths of several civilians, the closure of the Zamboanga International Airport, and a reduction of economic activity in the city. The standoff degenerated into urban warfare, and brought parts of the city into a standstill for days.
This armed incursion, which has been variously described a "crisis", a "standoff", a "siege", and a "humanitarian crisis", was met by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), which sought to free the hostages and expel the MNLF from the city. The crisis erupted on September 9, 2013, when this MNLF faction attempted to raise the flag of the self-proclaimed Bangsamoro Republik at Zamboanga City Hall, which had earlier declared its independence on August 12, 2013, in Talipao, Sulu. The Zamboanga City crisis ( Filipino: Krisis sa Zamboanga Chavacano: Crisis na Zamboanga) or Zamboanga Siege was an armed conflict in Zamboanga City, Philippines between the forces of the Philippine government and a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front, generally known by other factions as the Rogue MNLF Elements (RME) under the Sulu State Revolutionary Command (SSRC) led by Ustadz Habier Malik and Khaid Ajibon, whose group continues to recognize Nur Misuari as MNLF Chairman. The group demanded the hoisting of the Bangsamoro flag at the Zamboanga city hall in exchange for the hostages. During the course of the conflict, the MNLF had been taking civilians as hostages.