In 2015, I followed the trail of conflict across the southern Philippines, moving through military checkpoints, rebel territory, and villages where fear still shaped daily life.

The journey became a multimedia series of ten articles, three videos, and one infographic, tracing one of Southeast Asia’s longest-running conflicts, from the roots of Bangsamoro separatism to the rise of ISIS-linked militant networks.

A central thread followed the cross-border trail between Mindanao and Indonesia, examining how militant groups in the southern Philippines intersected with Indonesian extremist networks, including Mujahidin Indonesia Timur.

These connections emerged from an increasingly fragmented insurgent landscape.

As MILF pushed for autonomy through the Bangsamoro Basic Law, splinter groups such as BIFF, Abu Sayyaf, and Ansar Khalifah Philippines kept fighting, some invoking ISIS while drawing regional militants into their orbit.

Beyond terrorism, civilians were also trapped by rido, clan feuds that exposed the weakness of state justice and deepened poverty, displacement, and distrust.

Through interviews with rebel leaders, politicians, security officials, local residents, and journalists, the series explored how history, religion, land, identity, and power collided in Mindanao.

It revealed a region where peace was not simply a signed agreement, but a fragile promise tested by politics, extremism, regional militant networks, and the unresolved fears of people still waiting to feel safe again.