Abdullah Goldiano Makapaar bin Sabbar (born
), commonly known by his ''
nom de guerre
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
'' Commander Bravo, was a former
Moro rebel in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
who fought under the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ar, ''Jabhat Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyyah'') is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro r ...
(MILF) as a commander.
Makapaar is now a politician and member of the
Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority is the interim regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of the Philippines and has executive and legislative powers over the region.
History
With the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law ...
.
Early life and education
Abdullah Makapaar is of
Maranao
The Maranao people (Maranao: mәranaw Filipino: ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranao, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is the term used by the Philippine government to refer to the southern indigenous people who are the "people of the lake", a predomin ...
heritage
and is the youngest of six children of Sultan Makapaar and Habiba Goldiano.
He grew up in the village of Delabayan in
Kauswagan
Kauswagan, officially the Municipality of Kauswagan (Maranao: ''Monisipiyo san Kauswagan'', ceb, Lungsod sa Kauswagan, tl, Bayan ng Kauswagan), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Lanao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
in
Lanao del Norte
Lanao del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Lanao''; tl, Hilagang Lanao; Maranao: ''Pangotaraan Ranao''), officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Tubod.
T ...
. In 1971, he was forced to dropped out of elementary school after clashes in between the Moro group Barracuda and the government-aligned Christian group
Ilaga
The Ilagâ ( Hiligaynon for ''rat'') is a Christian extremist paramilitary group based in southern Philippines. The group is predominantly composed of Visayans (mostly Hiligaynon-speakers), embracing a form of Folk Catholicism that utilizes amu ...
broke out in Lanao del Norte. This also led to his family to flee to the forest after their home was destroyed and some of their relatives killed due to the conflict.
He went to
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
to pursue studies in religion while working as a taxi driver. Makapaar also went to Pakistan where he studied at the Islamic Academy in Pakistan where he had
Hashim Salamat
Salamat Hashim, also known as Hashim Salamat, was a Filipino militant who served as leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He is the founder of the group.
Early life and education
Hashim was born in Midsayap, Cotabato (now Pagalungan, Maguin ...
, the founder of the Moro secessionist group
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ar, ''Jabhat Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyyah'') is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro r ...
(MILF), as his mentor.
Militant career
After the Barracuda–Ilaga clashes, Makapaar along one of his brothers joined the
Moro conflict
The Moro conflict is an insurgency in the Mindanao region of the Philippines, which has involved multiple armed groups, and has been ongoing since March 1968. Peace deals have been signed between the Philippine government and two major arme ...
and became a member of the
Moro National Liberation Front
The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ar, الجبهة الوطنية لتحرير مورو) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The M ...
. In 1973, as part of his rebel training, he adopted the ''
nom de guerre
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
'' "Bravo", in reference to a radio drama called ''Diego Salvador'' since the name meant "victory" to him.
He was also came to be known as "James Bond 007 the second", after the death of his brother who was known as Commander James Bond.
Makapaar also fought in the
Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...
joining the
mujahideen
''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...
which fought against the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and the
Soviet-backed Afghan government in the early 1980s.
Makapaar has said he learned guerilla tactics from
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...
within his two years of staying in Afghanistan.
[ Upon his return to the Philippines, he assumed command of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's northwestern command from his brother who goes by the ''nom de guerre'', Commander James Bond. As commander he launched a "war on drugs" within the organization and imposed Islamic discipline on its members.] He held the rank of Brigadier General within the MILF.
He was implicated to have been behind attacks in Lanao del Norte
Lanao del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Lanao''; tl, Hilagang Lanao; Maranao: ''Pangotaraan Ranao''), officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Tubod.
T ...
in 2008, after a negotiations for a deal that would create a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) was dropped. Makapaar has denied to have a direct role on the attacks saying that non-MILF affiliated mujahideen were responsible and maintained that his forces would have retaliated have Philippine government forces attack MILF positions.
In November 2016, Makapaar was accused of being involved in illegal drugs and of setting up his own "government" in Lanao by President Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
. A month later, he met up with Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers and Muslim Concerns Secretary Abdullah Mama-o to reject the accusations with Makapaar saying his activities were in fact supportive of the Duterte administration's war on drugs and that drug syndicates might have given him "wrong information" to frame him.
Political career
Abdullah Makapaar as a member of the MILF campaigned for a "yes" vote in the 2019 Bangsamoro autonomy plebiscite
The 2019 Bangsamoro autonomy plebiscite was a two-part plebiscite held in Mindanao, Philippines, that ratified the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and replaced the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region ...
which proposed the creation of the (BARMM) which would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ( tl, Rehiyong Awtonomo ng Muslim Mindanao; ar, الحكم الذاتي الاقليمي لمسلمي مندناو ''Al-ḥukm adh-dhātī al-'iqlīmī li-muslimī Mindanāu''; abbreviated as ARMM) was ...
(ARMM). Part of the plebiscite also called for the inclusion of select towns in Lanao del Norte
Lanao del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Lanao''; tl, Hilagang Lanao; Maranao: ''Pangotaraan Ranao''), officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Tubod.
T ...
, which Makapaar advocated for. While voters approved the creation of BARMM in the plebiscite, the joining of the towns in Lanao del Norte was unable to secure votes from the rest of the province to be able to join BARMM.
Abdullah Makapaar was nominated by the MILF in February 2019 to be part of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority is the interim regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of the Philippines and has executive and legislative powers over the region.
History
With the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law ...
which serves as an interim legislature for the then-newly formed BARMM. In January 2020, he publicly said that he wants to abandon conflict and has urged to push for peace moving forward.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makapaar, Abdullah
Filipino rebels
Sunni Muslims
Living people
Members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament
Year of birth missing (living people)
Mujahideen members of the Soviet–Afghan War
Filipino expatriates in Saudi Arabia
Filipino expatriates in Pakistan
Moro Islamic Liberation Front members