Ten days before the historic 14 September 2026 parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), unsettling developments have unfolded, including the removal of Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua and several other senior officials from their posts in the autonomous region.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) announced the officials’ ouster from the BARMM interim government during a general assembly at Camp Darapanan.

The MILF plays a foundational role in administering and normalizing the BARMM. As the primary signatory to the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the group’s role extends across governance, lawmaking, the political transition, and regional security.

Macacua, known by his nom de guerre Sammy Gambar, was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to head the region’s transition government.

The shakeup was significant for both the political administration and the armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces and the parliamentary polls that is now an open field for the top position in the autonomous region’s government.

Sheik Abdulmanan Kitogi, a member of the MILF Central Committee, announced the expulsions at the camp.

Aside from Macacua, the other prominent MILF figures who were relieved were Akmad “Toks” Brahim, Butch Malang, Tomanda Antok, Kagui Wahid Tundok, Von Al Haq and some other senior officers.

While these officials have been ousted from their posts, they remain members of the MILF. They no longer have decision-making powers or official roles within the organization.

Aside from the upcoming parliamentary elections, the development may also impact the peace process and the internal dynamics of the MILF as it transitions from a revolutionary movement to a governing political force.

Armed MILF convoy stopped

The other day, a combined police and army contingent intercepted a convoy carrying about 200 armed members of the MILF in Lanao del Norte.

PNP spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co said the incident stemmed from a “misunderstanding” over the group’s prior coordination for movement between provinces.

“There was just a little misunderstanding in Lanao. There was a group of (MILF) Commander Lungga Dimaampao who was accordingly going to attend an event at Commander Bravo’s camp in Lanao del Norte,” Co said in a press briefing at Camp Crame.

According to a military report, the 5th Mechanized Infantry Battalion and the PNP-Lanao del Norte conducted joint law enforcement and checkpoint operations as part of security measures for the upcoming BARMM elections.

The authorities received information that the group, around half of them armed and in uniform, was traveling to Camp Kura-Kura in Barangay Tamparan, Munai, Lanao del Norte.

Joint Army and police personnel intercepted the group. Authorities then negotiated with the group and informed them that MILF members were prohibited from bringing firearms during such a movement.

Only five vehicles carrying unarmed civilians were allowed to proceed to Lanao del Norte, Co said.

He said the government’s peace mechanism with the MILF allows such movements as long as they are properly coordinated and have a clear purpose.