Guns, drugs and extremism: Bangsamoro's new wars – Conflict Alert 2017

Conflict Alert provides information on conflict incidence, causes, costs and trends in Muslim Mindanao in the Philippines, with the aim of informing the work of government agencies and NGOs working in conflict-affected areas.

At no other time is data on conflict in the country more important than now, with new ‘wars’ being waged in towns and cities across Muslim Mindanao, causing even more misery to residents, who have already lived through untold violence in the past.

In 2016, we saw the emergence of a new threat in the form of violent extremism – which grew and moved quickly through the region – parallel to a new conflict front opened by the newly-elected government against those involved in the illegal drugs trade.

By sharing this information, we hope to ensure more effective, timely and inclusive development and peacebuilding responses to violent conflict in the Philippines. This is especially important given the ways in which the effects of conflicts can spill over to neighbouring areas.