Bangsa Moro Army

The Bangsa Moro Army was the military force of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a Muslim separatist movement in the southern Philippines. At its peak in the 1970s, the Bangsa Moro Army comprised approximately 30,000 fighters. The MNLF's campaign aimed to establish an independent, democratic, Islamic state for the Moro peoples of Mindanao and surrounding islands. The movement employed guerrilla tactics and violence in its insurgency against the Philippine government, which began in 1973 following President Ferdinand Marcos's imposition of martial law. Despite government offers of regional autonomy, the MNLF initially rejected them, continuing to demand complete independence. The organization later experienced factional splits, leading to the formation of other groups like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).