An MILF soldier teaches new recruits how to use a locally manufactured anti-tank missile at their mountain hideout Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines.
In 1996, the MNLF signed a peace accord with President Fidel Ramos, setting up the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Nur Misuari ran unopposed to become ARMM’s first governor.
Meanwhile, MILF had taken over as the dominant rebel movement, recruiting scores of soldiers and setting up huge camps in Central Mindanao. In 1998, President Joseph Estrada declared an all-out war against MILF.