See the story of the Marawi Siege through the eyes of six different people.
There are 68.5 million forcibly displaced people in all corners of the world. Among them are those who were displaced by an incident close to home – Marawi, Philippines.
In 2017, more than 350,000 people were forced to flee when an ISIS-inspired group occupied the city. Conflict unfolded, explosions went off, communities were in pandemonium, and only rubble was left of the city. The lives of the Maranao people changed forever.
Some people lost their homes, their jobs, their families. But they never lost hope. Here are some stories that recall the Marawi conflict from different perspectives.
“I hope the feeling that we have now will reach all those who have a heart, to do something to help us.” – Solaiman, 50
Solaiman and his wife lived in their newly-renovated house in East Marinaut. The future was looking bright for them as their children were growing up and they were nearing their retirement, until conflict broke out.
Solaiman was not worried believing that the conflict would end in two days time. He instructed his children to flee while he and his wife stayed behind to watch over the house. The conflict did not end in two days. They were trapped in their house for 16 days, fearing for their lives as they heard the sound of barring bombs and gunshots.
Solaiman and his wife were finally able to flee to safety on June 8. It was a moment of relief because they didn’t expect to make it out alive. At the same time, having to flee was disheartening because their beautiful house, a product of years of hard work, was left to nothing but rubble.
Mahaidin, 24 years old.
Mahaidin was born with Cerebral Palsy, which makes him unable to walk. When armed men stormed in their city, Mahaidin’s parents feared for his safety. To save their child, they carried him for hours as they journeyed to the evacuation center.
Even when they were safe from the fighting, Mahaidin felt fear and depression. His impaired ability led him to believe that if conflict were to happen again, he and his family won’t make it out alive. He felt almost helpless, as he faced life with an emotional weight and a physical impediment.
There was a glimmer of joy when UNHCR Philippines gave him a wheelchair. His mother Ramla said that her son has become more cheerful because of the wheelchair, and a small weight was lifted off their family’s shoulders.
Mahaidin shows inspiring resilience by continuing to fight, inspired by the simple joy of being less of a burden to one’s own family.
“All my belongings, they were left behind. Everything is gone.” – Rohaima, 55
Rohaima was no stranger to adversity. When conflict happened in Marawi, she did not have time to collect her belongings. She just dropped everything and left home. For months, she resided in an evacuation center in Saguiaran, where she put up a business selling chips. She was later relocated to a transitory shelter in Sarimanok. Rohaima had to start over twice because she was in a repeated cycle of displacement.
Rohaima knew that she needed to support her grandchildren, so she started a small business in their transitory shelter. Starting with a budget of only 300 pesos, Rohaima sold vegetables and cooked meals for the people around the evacuation center. She is happy that she is self-reliant and can support her grandchildren with her own profit. Despite her situation, Rohaima chose to rise up, and her persisting resilience got her through both instances of displacement.
““Sometimes I can still hear the sound of gunfire, and I am overcome with fear again. With our houses destroyed, I wonder how we will rebuild when the fighting is over,” – Moreg, 102
At 100 years old, Moreg Sarakan expected to live a quiet life but in 2017, she was forced to flee from home with a broken foot. Despite her old age, she walked all the way to Buru-un, around 40 kilometers away from home. She took every step carefully, hearing the sound of barring explosions and airstrikes along the way.
Moreg lived in Marawi City all her life, and she wanted to remember it as a vibrant city full of her memories. Instead, it became a war-torn area just as she aged. In 2017, Babu Moreg and her family lived in Buru-un evacuation center. It was difficult for her to live in a cramped space, and as a grandmother, she was disheartened to see her grandchildren experience the difficulties of displacement. She wished for nothing but to go home.
*Photo and story were taken from a mission in July 2017.
“As we were fleeing, bombs started falling from the sky. We didn’t know what we needed to do during that time. We did not know how we were going to escape.” – Saadodin, 20
It was a normal day at school for Plant-Sciences student Saadodin. That was until gun battles raged the streets and militants seized public buildings. When the city was in pandemonium, Saadodin quietly made his way through the town, looking for his parents and eight siblings.
He had to carry his younger brother Saminodin, aged 9, who had seizures and was unable to walk. He fearfully recalls that as they were fleeing, bombs started falling from the sky. They walked for three days straight, finally reaching an evacuation center in Saguiaran.
They lived in a makeshift home in that evacuation center for over a year. When they visited their house in April 2018, their hearts sank as they saw it in complete ruins. They used to own an aluminum and glass shop within the area, but their livelihood was put to a halt when they were displaced by the conflict.
Saadodin was just like you and me. He was a college student with dreams, and he had a stable life with his family. Now he can only wish for that life back. He had to stop school, and his priority is to take care of his family, especially his brother Saminodin. Their family lost everything, but amidst the rubbles of their life, they continue to smile, rise back, and never lose hope.
“My dream is simple: for us to be complete again as a family. It’s hard because of what happened in Marawi, especially for us since we’re from Ground Zero (most affected area). We don’t know how we can start over.” – Jared Bacalundo, 37
Jared lived in the area that is now referred to as Ground Zero. It is the area of Marawi that was left completely destroyed. Just days before the siege, his father had a stroke and was crippled. The father was stranded in Marawi, at the very peak of conflict, for 18 days. Jared is extremely thankful that his father was not killed and they were eventually reunited.
With tears in his eyes, Jared says that no matter how much repair is done to Marawi, they cannot bring it back to how it was before. He expresses his sentiments of how the internally displaced people have been forgotten over the years, and can only hope for a better future. Even though he feels helpless at times, he motivates himself by volunteering in evacuation centers. Jared says that even though he is an IDP himself, he loves the feeling of helping people.
Jared says that he doesn’t know where they will be in five years, because the restoration of Marawi city will take some time. But he continues to fight, and hope for a better life for himself and for the displaced.
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