Peacemaking analysis & research : Peacemaking research - Focus on Mindanao

Why research conflict management in Mindanao?

In the Philippines, in addition to traditional belligerents, violent conflict increasingly features a range of armed actors which include civil defense forces, militias, paramilitaries, criminal groups and armed gangs.  In Mindanao, the presence of militias, referred to as Civilian Volunteer Organisations (CVOs) or Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGUs), pose significant security threats, in a region already affected by conflict and the widespread proliferation of weapons.

However, little policy research is available on the phenomenon of militias. Through this project, the HD Centre aims to better understand how gender, religion, and age are understood through the analysis of civilian militias, and to identify measures for the dignified and sustainable disbanding of those militias' members. These measures will inform policy and programming particularly through the HD Centre-led Sulu Armed Violence Reduction Initiative (AVRI).

What activities did the HD Centre undertake? 

In partnership with the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies, the HD Centre developed an annotated literature review of leading reports and studies pertinent to the research focus to provide those interested with an overview of the diverse range of information available.

In 2009, ten focus group discussions were convened across Mindanao to gauge the views of representatives from the private sector, youth groups, women's rights organisations, development agencies and religious communities, on the issues of armed violence, civilian militias and local security. Individual interviews were also conducted with militia members, politicians, police and military officials, as well as members of insurgent groups.

As an example, on 9 October 2009, the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies and the HD Centre, in cooperation with the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, conducted a detailed focus group discussion entitled ‘Citizen's Armed Forces Geographical Units and Civilian Volunteer Organisations and Armed Violence in Mindanao' in Manila.  Participants included the military, the police, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and the Australian Embassy. Three presentations were given on the CAFGUs, the CVOs, and human rights.

Participants discussed the reasons behind the establishment of CAFGU and CVOs and their efficiency. The male dominance of those groups and the allegations that many of them are used as private armies were also discussed by the participants, as were the human rights abuses committed by those groups, including the recruitment of children. The meeting was a key opportunity to gauge the views of the military and police at headquarter level, as compared to their counterparts based in Mindanao.

Final report

The final report, Armed Violence in Mindanao: Militia and private armies has been released in July 2011. Three of the report's annexes are  available in electronic format only:
- Annexe 3 - Guide Questions for CAFGU Individual Interviews;
- Annexe 4 - Guide Questions for CVO Individual Interviews;
- Annexe 5 - Details Data

Donors

The HD Centre would like to thank the MacArthur Foundation (Asia Security Initiative) for its financial support to these activities from 2009 to mid-2011.