Siege in the southern Philippines

More than 80,000 people from Marawi in the Southern Philippines have been internally displaced during fighting between government forces and an armed group with links to ISIL called Maute. Most people have fled the city, leaving their homes and belongings behind. The thousands that remain are either too poor to leave and have nowhere to go, or are stranded in areas still controlled by Maute fighters as intense fighting and air raids enter a second week.

The violence started when the military attempted to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, who has been recognised as the local leader of ISIL and Abu Sayyaf, an armed group.

The southern island of Mindanao is no stranger to armed conflict and has been roiled by separatist movements, bandits and armed rebellions for decades. But the tenacity of Maute fighters alongside other armed groups in battling government forces has increased fear that the group’s ideology is spreading and may gain a foothold there.  The island is still under martial law, declared by President Rodrigo Duterte, raising the specter for many of former leader Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country under martial law in the 1970s. For others, martial law is a necessary measure needed to decisively put an end to the conflict.

The military has freed half the city, and has announced that its close to ending the offensive, but pockets of about 60 fighters remain, and there are reports that citizens are being held hostage.

The Stream talks with Jamela Alindogen, Al Jazeera’s correspondent on the ground in Marawi, about what impact will this conflict have on citizens living in the south, and how the government might handle the fallout from the crisis. 

Joining The Stream: 

Jamela Alindogan @jamelaaisha
Correspondent, Al Jazeera English

Richard Javad Heydarian @Richeydarian
Political analyst and author
richardheydarian.com

Zia Alonto Adiong @ZeeAlontoAdiong
Assemblyman, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
armm.gov.ph 

Tom Smith @Tomtheacademic 
Lecturer, International Relations for the University of Portsmouth
researchportal.port.ac.uk

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