The Neo Abu Sayyaf: Criminality in the Sulu Archipelago of the Republic of the Philippines

The fragmented Abu Sayyaf may be many things, but insurgents fighting for liberation they are not. The various groups, with many leaders, have descended into murderers and kidnappers who show no compassion for their victims. Their sole motivation, and, indeed, obsession, is greed accompanied by fear.

This publication follows the rise of criminality in the greater Mindanao region – especially the Sulu Archipelago provinces – in the context of the participation of major state and non-state players in the suppression of the Moros – indigenous Muslims. The Catholic Church comes in for extensive scrutiny for the power it holds in the region. The 70 plus years of deliberate minoritisation of the Moros by various Philippine administrations are brought into the equation in order to understand why a murderous group such as the Abu Sayyaf has, in the main, so much local support.

The waxing and waning of the “fortunes” of the Abu Sayyaf in the 20 plus years of its existence, and the inability of the various Philippine administrations to stamp out this criminality is examined. The criminality and brutality of the group, especially in the time since the death of its late co-founder – Khadaffy Janjalani – is documented. It shows an escalation that defies explanation given the thousands of Philippines troops that have been deployed in the Sulu Archipelago provinces of Sulu and Basilan.