Philippine city of Marawi was devastated by fight against Islamic State. Now its painfully slow recovery fuels resentment
- After several false starts the government does not expect rebuilding to be finished before the end of 2021
- The delays have left about 100,000 residents displaced, intensifying anger and extremist sympathies
The May 23, 2017 invasion by gunmen waving the black flag of the Islamic State (Isis) group sparked a five-month battle that shattered swathes of the southern city.
Demolition of blast-pocked buildings has finally begun, but after several false starts the government does not expect rebuilding to be finished before the end of 2021.
The delays have left about 100,000 residents in squalid relocation camps or sharing homes with relatives, feeding simmering anger among the displaced and providing a recruiting tool for extremists.
“The narratives [to join Isis] used to be about the Middle East and the plight of Muslims around the world,” said Mouhammad Sharief, 32, who co-founded a support group for Marawi’s youth. “Now it’s closer to our hearts because the narrative is Marawi.”
Marawi is symbolically important because it is the Muslim capital of the nation’s south, which has been locked in a cycle of poverty and extremism as separatist insurgencies have raged for decades.
It is all the more significant as Isis works to maintain a presence via its global affiliates following the fall of its self-proclaimed “caliphate” in the Middle East.
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“The government needs to be concerned about the threats of Isis attracting young [locals] because of the ongoing resentment from the failure to rebuild and general anger over the destruction,” analyst Sidney Jones said.
The clearing of debris, the first step before the actual construction, also hit a snag due to legal problems and the government hopes it will finally be finished in November.
The government says it is making progress in repairing the city, which was pounded by military air strikes and artillery as it struggled to dislodge the jihadists.
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“We are following the guidance and instructions of the president that he will see to it that Marawi will rise as a prosperous city again,” Eduardo del Rosario, a retired general overseeing the rebuilding efforts, told journalists this week. “We … are all undertaking the task given to us as per instruction of the president.”
He has claimed the city was home to illegal drug activity, a very serious accusation from a leader whose narcotics crackdown has killed over 5,300 alleged dealers and pushers.
“I don’t think that I should be spending for their buildings. People there have a lot of money,” he said in reference to Marawi in an April speech.