Nearly 200 people have been reported killed since militants flying black flags of the Islamic State group went on a rampage in Marawi, the main Muslim city in the Philippines, on May 23. / AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS
More than 200,000 people displaced after Islamist militants — led by Maute and Abu Sayyaf fighters — attacked Marawi City, are now uncertain about their future, since evacuating from the city that had been their home for years.
As they grapple with the challenge of finding a safe place to live, they also face serious health problems, relief groups said Friday which noted that the onset of the rainy season could still worsen their situation.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had already observed a spike in diarrhea, respiratory illnesses and other ailments, but said that situation was “not yet critical.”
“The health situation is not yet critical at this point, but we fear that this may worsen in the coming days with prolonged displacement,” said Jose Amigo, health coordinator for the ICRC in the Philippines.
About 240,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in Marawi, according to the government.
Ninety percent of the evacuees have sought shelter in the homes of relatives and friends rather than in evacuation centers, according to government data, and aid workers have not been able to help all of them.
A son’s death while on the run
Among those staying with friends and relatives was Emmalyn Macababayao, 37, who told Agence France Presse her one-year-old son died after getting sick during a six-day ordeal to escape Marawi.
“While fleeing I held on tight to my elder son with my left hand while the other was breastfeeding,” Macababayao said as she began to cry.
“The baby that time felt so hungry. It was raining so hard, we all got wet. It was a long walk, I was just crying, feeling helpless and in despair. But I kept holding tight to my children. I felt so afraid… I was alone.”
She said her son died three days after reaching a relative’s house, after not being able to get medical treatment for a fever and diarrhea.
Data provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said that 4,244 families or 20,627 persons are staying inside 63 evacuation centers.
More of the displaced Marawi residents – about 45,000 families or more than 219,300 individuals are staying outside evacuation centers, or with their relatives and friends.
The Philippine military said Friday it hoped to defeat the militants by Monday, June 12, which is the Philippine independence day.
Prayers for Marawi
“To our Muslim brothers and sisters in Marawi, I hope they gain courage and remain faithful in God. God can give them the help they need. Only God can help them,” said Abdul Samad Ansari, an imam in Manila.
Filipino Muslims in Manila offered prayers on Friday (June 9) to residents of Marawi.
Filipinos attending Friday prayers on the second week of Ramadan hoped for better conditions for their fellow Muslims trapped in or forced to evacuate Marawi, which has seen intense street battles and daily government airstrikes since the Islamic State-linked Maute Group laid siege to the city on May 23.
Our Muslim siblings have experienced worse than a calamity. Their livelihoods, their houses, everything they had was destroyed. They were just faithful Muslims minding their own business but that happened to them all of a sudden. So for us here in Manila, all we can do for them is pray to God to improve their situation,” said Abdul Latip Baulo, a Muslim vendor.
The Manila Golden Mosque has set up fundraising projects such as selling t-shirts of which proceeds will go to the benefit of Marawi evacuees.
At least 138 militants, 39 security forces and 20 civilians have been killed in the more than two weeks of conflict while more than 200,000 have been displaced, according to military and disaster officials.
The unrest began more than two weeks ago when hundreds of militants rampaged through the city waving black flags of the Islamic State (IS) group.
President Rodrigo Duterte said the attack was part of a wider plot by IS to establish a base in the southern region of Mindanao, and declared martial law there to quell the threat.
Twenty civilians have been confirmed killed due to the fighting, according to the government, but the true number is likely to be higher with authorities yet to fully assess the roughly 10 percent of Marawi still being held by the militants.
About 2,000 people are also believed to still be trapped in those areas with some being used as human shields, according to authorities.
(with reports from Agence France Presse, Reuters)>