The 2013 Lahad Datu standoff was a military conflict that started on 11 February 2013 and ended on 24 March 2013. The standoff arose after 235 militants, some of whom were armed, arrived by boats in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia from Simunul island, Tawi-Tawi, in the southern Philippines, on 11 February 2013.