International Monitoring Team

Last updated

International Monitoring Team
International Monitoring Team insignia.png
AbbreviationIMT
MottoTogether We Make it Happen [1]
Agency overview
FormedOctober, 2004
DissolvedJune 2022
Volunteers60
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction Philippines
Legal jurisdiction Mindanao
Operational structure
Headquarters Cotabato City, Philippines
Multinational agency Philippines
Nationalities of personnel

The International Monitoring Team (IMT) was a monitoring team composed of 60 members headquartered in Cotabato City, Mindanao of the Philippines to monitor the implementation of peace between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and one of the largest rebels in the region, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Moro conflict. The team is led by Malaysia, [2] followed by Brunei Darussalam, [3] Indonesia, [4] Japan, [5] Libya, [6] Norway [7] and subsequently the European Union. [8]

Contents

History

The IMT was launched in October 2004 by Malaysia together with Brunei and Libya to oversee the situation after the GPH and MILF signed their ceasefire agreement in 2003. [9] In October 2006, Japan began to join the monitoring team. [5] Armed conflict however still resumed and the security situation deteriorated until August 2008 when the national co-ordination surrounding resolutions of pending land problems failed. [5] During the period, the lead was taken by Libya which then rose skepticism from the MILF over the slowing process. [10] Malaysia then decided to withdraw its contingent in November 2008 and the IMT temporarily suspended its activities in 2009. [5] The IMT became active again in February 2010, [11] the same year when Norway began to join the monitoring team. [12] Indonesia also joined the IMT in 2011 after being invited by the Philippines in 2009. [13]

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front would sign the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014. This in turn led to Bangsamoro autonomous region being formed in the southern Philippines in 2019 as part of the peace process. In March 2022, the Philippine government led by President Rodrigo Duterte informed that the IMT that it would no longer extend its mission. The IMT officially left the Philippines in June 2022. [14]

At its peak the IMT had 60 personnel but this figure gradually decreased over time. [14]

Roles

IMT was responsible in monitoring the security, humanitarian, rehabilitation and development aspects, as well as socio-economic assistance and civilian protection. [2]

Areas coverage

IMT covered the areas of: [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mindanao</span> Island in the Philippines

Mindanao is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of the same name that also includes its adjacent islands, notably the Sulu Archipelago. According to the 2020 census, Mindanao has a population of 26,252,442 people, while the entire island group has an estimated population of 27,021,036 according to the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moro Islamic Liberation Front</span> Group in Mindanao, Philippines, seeking Moro autonomy

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao, the Sulu Archipelago, Palawan, Basilan, and other neighbouring islands. The armed wing of the group was the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), although the name of its parent organization, the MILF, was often used to refer to the BIAF. In July, 2018, the Philippine government passed the Bangsamoro Organic Law, giving more autonomy to Muslims. In return, MILF announced that it would disarm its 30,000 fighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanao del Norte</span> Province in Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Lanao del Norte, officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Tubod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao</span> 1989–2019 autonomous region of the Philippines

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was an autonomous region of the Philippines, located in the Mindanao island group of the Philippines, that consisted of five predominantly Muslim provinces: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. It was the only region that had its own government. The region's de facto seat of government was Cotabato City, although this self-governing city was outside its jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in the Philippines</span> Overview of the status of the Islam in the Philippines

Islam was the first-recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. Islam reached the Philippines in the 14th century with the arrival of Muslim traders from the Persian Gulf, southern India, and their followers from several sultanates in the wider Malay Archipelago. The first missionaries then followed in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. They facilitated the formation of sultanates and conquests in mainland Mindanao and Sulu. Those who converted to Islam came to be known as the Moros, with Muslim conquest reaching as far as Tondo that was later supplanted by Bruneian Empire vassal-state of Maynila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moro people</span> Muslim ethnic groups of the southern Philippines and neighbouring regions

The Moro people or Bangsamoro people are the 13 Muslim-majority ethnolinguistic Austronesian groups of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, native to the region known as the Bangsamoro. As Muslim-majority ethnic groups, they form the largest non-Christian population in the Philippines, and comprise about 5% of the country's total population, or 5 million people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moro National Liberation Front</span> Philippine regionalist organization founded in 1972

The Moro National Liberation Front is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The MNLF was the leading organization among Moro separatists for about two decades beginning from the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moro conflict</span> Separatist conflict in the Philippines since 1969

The Moro conflict was an insurgency in the Mindanao region of the Philippines, which has involved multiple armed groups, and has been ongoing since March 1968. Peace deals have been signed between the Philippine government and two major armed groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but other smaller armed groups continue to exist. In 2017, the peace council settled around 138 clan conflicts.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao general elections was held in the ARMM for the regional governor, vice-governor posts and election of members of the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly on August 11, 2008. The electronic voting used is the first in Philippines election history. The ₱500 million COMELEC's "ARMM balloting" is a pilot program for the 2010 national polling.

Datu Yusoph Boyog Mama is a Filipino politician and government official. He was a candidate for public office as Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Regional Governor in the previous 2013 Mid-term Elections, being the lone candidate representing the province of Lanao del Sur, one of the five (5) provinces constituting the ARMM territory. With the support of various key multi-sectoral groups in the province of Lanao del Sur and the provincial capital Islamic City of Marawi, Datu Yusoph B. Mama ran as an independent candidate.

In the late 1960s, an independence movement was founded in Mindanao, the Philippines to separate the Muslim majority-Moro areas from the rest of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangsamoro</span> Autonomous region of the Philippines

Bangsamoro, officially the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, is an autonomous region in the Philippines, located in the southwestern portion of the island of Mindanao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro</span> 2014 Philippine peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front

The Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) is a final peace agreement signed between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on March 27, 2014 at the Malacañang Palace in Manila. Under the agreement, the Islamic separatists would turn over their firearms to a third party, which would be selected by the rebels and the Philippine government. The MILF agreed to decommission its armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF). In return, the government would establish an autonomous Bangsamoro. Power sharing was a central point to the autonomy redesign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangsamoro Organic Law</span> 2018 Philippine law establishing the Bangsamoro autonomous region

The Bangsamoro Organic Law, also known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), and officially designated as Republic Act No. 11054, is a Philippine law that provided for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous regions of the Philippines</span> First-level administrative divisions

An autonomous region of the Philippines is a first-level administrative division that has the authority to control a region's culture and economy. The Constitution of the Philippines allows for two autonomous regions: in the Cordilleras and in Muslim Mindanao. Currently, Bangsamoro, which largely consists of the Muslim-majority areas of Mindanao, is the only autonomous region in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Tripoli Agreement</span> Treaty between the Philippines and Moro National Liberation Front

The 1976 Tripoli Agreement was signed on December 23, 1976 in Tripoli, Libya by Carmelo Z. Barbero, representing the Government of the Philippines and Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front. The agreement defined autonomous administrative divisions for Muslims in the southern Philippines, the establishment of an autonomous government, judicial system for Sharia law and special security forces, and the observance of a ceasefire. The autonomous region was to have its own economic system, including an Islamic bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Peace and Security Team</span> Military unit

The Joint Peace and Security Team (JPSTs) are a peacekeeping forces composed of Philippine security personnel and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Mindanao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangsamoro Party</span> Political party in Philippines

The Bangsamoro Party (BAPA) is a political party based in Mindanao, Philippines, which is affiliated with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangsamoro Juridical Entity</span> Proposed associated state in Philippines

The Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) was a proposed subdivision in the Philippines spanning portions of Mindanao and Palawan. Conceptualized during the peace talks between the government of the Philippines during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the BJE was the proposed expanded successor to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The 1977 Southern Philippines autonomy plebiscite was a creation plebiscite held on April 17, 1977 in parts of Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines.

References

  1. Naoyuki, Ochiai (December 2020). "Peace and Development in Mindanao, Republic of The Philippines. The Long Road to Peace Through Trust" (PDF). JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development. 1: 34. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Terms of Reference of the International Monitoring Team (IMT)". Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. November 21, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  3. "International Monitoring Team in Mindanao". Radio Televisyen Brunei. September 5, 2014. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  4. "Tim Pengamat Indonesia dalam International Monitoring Team di Filipina Selatan" (in Indonesian). Jaringan Dokumentasi Dan Informasi Hukum, Kementerian Riset, Teknologi dan Pendidikan Tinggi. February 24, 2012. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Resumption of Dispatch of Development Experts to the International Monitoring Team in the Philippines". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. February 26, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  6. "Libya Increases Participation in Mindanao Peace Process". The Tripoli Post. May 13, 2007. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  7. "Norway supports peace process, takes active role in the decommissioning process". Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila. February 27, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  8. "(Press Release) EU confirms willingness to participate in International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao" (PDF). European Union. May 18, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  9. Peng Er Lam (June 2, 2009). Japan's Peace-Building Diplomacy in Asia: Seeking a More Active Political Role. Routledge. pp. 80–. ISBN   978-1-134-12506-7.
  10. "MILF skeptical over Libya lead role in IMT". GMA News. May 14, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  11. "Hopeful signs for end to Mindanao conflict". IRIN News. April 23, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  12. 张茜 (June 7, 2010). "Norway joins int'l group monitoring Mindanao peace process". Xinhua News Agency. People's Daily Online. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  13. "Indonesia joins the International Monitoring Team". Government of the Philippines. April 11, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Maitem, Jeoffrey (July 15, 2022). "Foreign peace monitors depart southern Philippines after nearly 2 decades". Benar News. Retrieved August 14, 2022.