Rebellion, banditry and terrorism
FROM
all indications, it appears that the members of the Maute Group are actually terrorists, and are neither rebels nor bandits.
To say that they are rebels would in fact dignify them, because that would mean that they have a cause that they are fighting for, and that they are directly aiming to bring down the government of the Philippines.
To say that they are bandits would It is interesting to note that during in fact marginalize them, making them the American Civil War, the Confederate appear that they have no other goal States of America was recognized as a but to plunder and steal. As we now belligerent power by some countries, see it, however, they do not seem to be even if it has not yet gained sovereign wanting in money and resources at all. status.
If in fact they are actually bandits According to international law, once that would mean they are merely the status of belligerency is established and simply criminals and nothing between two or more states, their more. That would also mean that the relations are governed by the rules of problems they are causing are merely war, and that includes protection of the and simply civilian matters, and would rights of combatants on both sides of only require police actions, and not the conflict. At this juncture, we should military interventions. point that up to now, the long-running
I t seems t hat early on, t he communist rebellion is considered an government has already determined insurgency up to now, and a state of that these people are not merely belligerency is not even hinted. and simply criminals and thus it was Up to now, it is not really clear deemed necessary to call for military whether the members of the Maute interventions. Group are simply just sympathizers
As of now, however, the government of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has been saying that these people are (ISIS), meaning that they are simply terrorists, but no formal declaration to trying to get the attention so that they that effect has been made so far. could be recognized by ISIS as a branch,
An insurgency is a rebellion against a cell or anything to that effect. an authority such as the authority of Based on the fact that the group the Philippine government. There is a seems to have access to large amounts condition, however, that those taking of money, it would not be farfetched part in the rebellion are not recognized to theorize that actual contact has as belligerents. According to Wikipedia, already been made between the two “A state of belligerency may also groups, and that money has already exist between one or more sovereign flowed between their two sides. Tacit states on one side and rebel forces, or not, there is reason to believe that if such rebel forces are recognized one way or the other, ISIS has already as belligerents. If there is a rebellion recognized the local group. against a constituted authority and Practically all over the world, those taking part in the rebellion are authorities have already declared and not recognized as belligerents, the categorized ISIS as a terrorist group, rebellion is an insurgency.” thus leaving out the possibility of classifying them as either bandits or rebels. Not being classified as rebels, they also have no chance of achieving a belligerent status between them and their state enemies.
At this point, it is important to note that from the outset, ISIS has introduced itself not as a mere organization but as a Caliphate, in other words a sovereign state, supposedly that is. According to some reports, the leader of the local group has already introduced himself as an Emir of that supposed Caliphate, probably suggesting that on their part, they would want to establish some kind of a vassal state or a tributary state.
Very clearly, the local communist rebels have not been categorized as a terrorist group, and it is for that reason that the government could still negotiate with them, because the government is not supposed to negotiate with terrorists.
On the other hand, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) appears to be classified up to now as a bandit group, and therefore they are neither rebels nor terrorists, at least in theory. Because of recent reports that the ASG has come to the aid