Marawi's ruins a reminder of Islamic State's devastating reach

Marawi's ruins a reminder of Islamic State's devastating reach

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It had only been a week since Mohammad Ali Acampong finished renovating his house when bombs and bullets struck Marawi City.

Two years ago, pro-Islamic State militants took over in a bid to carve out their own "Wilayah", or province, forcing nearly 100,000 people to flee in what became the Philippine military's toughest and longest conflict since World War Two.

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
The Acampong family.

Acampong, a local government official, left his three-storey lakeside house with his family of eight.

"When the chaos began, our life suddenly became really difficult," Acampong, 42, told Reuters.

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Acampong bathes his son.

"We had a comfortable life before. Now we live in between shelters, enduring heat, the lack of water, the lack of everything."

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
War-torn area of Marawi City.

Marawi was once one of the most picturesque cities in the Philippines.

About half of it is now charred concrete and skeletons of buildings, the effects of 154 days of air strikes and artillery by the military, and booby traps the rebels laid everywhere to keep them at bay.

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Acampong's children.

The Acampongs now live in a tiny temporary housing unit on the city's outskirts, competing with thousands of families for water and other basic utilities.

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Left: Sandiman works on a sewing machine.
Right: Sandiman shows a photo of a dress she made.

At least 500 other families live in plastic tents, like Asnia Sandiman, 25, who produces made-to-order clothing with a government-issued sewing machine.

"The tent is fine until it rains and it gets so cold, or until the heat is so bad," Sandiman said.

"My deepest hope is that we are allowed to go back to Marawi but honestly, I would take any permanent address just to get out of here."

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
A military vehicle drives through the war-torn area of Marawi City.

Hundreds of militants, 165 soldiers and at least 45 civilians were killed in the five-month conflict. President Rodrigo Duterte in October 2017 declared the city liberated, and its rehabilitation officially underway.

But there is little sign of progress.

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
The war-torn area of Marawi City.

Bangon Marawi (Rise Marawi), an inter-agency task force in charge of reconstruction, has a deadline of 2021 for rebuilding and remains confident of meeting that.

"We could only go as fast as legally possible. We can't make shortcuts," its field office manager, Felix Castro, said.

"It takes a while in the beginning but it will be quick once it starts."

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
The dilapidated Saint Mary's Cathedral.

Except for stray dogs and soldiers on guard, Marawi's commercial centre has been abandoned. There is no sign of the promised rehabilitation.

Thousands of people are in limbo following a conflict that no one saw coming.

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Gundarangin at her sister's home.

Most are jobless and dependent on relief goods, like Noronisah Laba Gundarangin, a mother of three, who lives with four other families in her sister's home.

The 73,000 pesos ($1,385) her family received from government agencies isn't enough for a small business. They have debts to pay and children to feed.

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Gundarangin inspects what's left of her home during a scheduled visit for IDPs to the most affected area of Marawi City.

Gundarangin, 40, wonders what happened to all the help and money pledged by the international community when the war was in the spotlight. The authorities say not all of that has materialised.

"I know billions (of pesos) were donated to Marawi but they go through so much bureaucracy that by the time it reaches us, they are pennies," she said.

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
The war-torn area of Marawi City.

The task force commander, Eduardo del Rosario, on Monday said obstacles to progress were debris, unexploded ordnance and unsafe structures, but said those should all be cleared by November, with some construction to start in September.

While awaiting that, the task force has been allowing people to return to see the place they once called home. Now they call it "ground zero".

. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez
Acampong poses at the land where his house stood before the war.

Acampong gave his consent for his house to be demolished. He returned recently and found a papaya tree growing in its place.

"It's painful because we had nothing to do with this war. We were just caught up," he said.

"Everything we've worked hard for, all the big and small investments, are now all gone."

"Every day, it's like this. Waiting and waiting, as if waiting for death."

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Slideshow

Rain pours at an evacuation camp for families displaced by the Marawi siege, in Marawi City.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Rain pours at an evacuation camp for families displaced by the Marawi siege, in Marawi City.

Containers are lined up beside a water tank at an evacuation camp.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Containers are lined up beside a water tank at an evacuation camp.

Girls carry water containers to be filled at an evacuation camp for families displaced by the Marawi siege.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Girls carry water containers to be filled at an evacuation camp for families displaced by the Marawi siege.

A family takes a nap in a tent at an evacuation camp.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

A family takes a nap in a tent at an evacuation camp.

Abdul Gani, 49, works with a sewing machine as his children and nephews watch TV in a tent.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Abdul Gani, 49, works with a sewing machine as his children and nephews watch TV in a tent.

Marie Dalama Acampong, 37, and her daughter Shieka, 15, carry containers filled with water. In December 2018, Marie Dalama applied to work as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia, following a fight with her husband Mohammad Ali Acampong. On the day she was supposed to leave, her husband and children begged her not to go. "Sometimes I still think about leaving because we don't have a source of income. We are literally just waiting here," she said.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Marie Dalama Acampong, 37, and her daughter Shieka, 15, carry containers filled with water. In December 2018, Marie Dalama applied to work as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia, following a fight with her husband Mohammad Ali Acampong. On the day she was supposed to leave, her husband and children begged her not to go. "Sometimes I still think about leaving because we don't have a source of income. We are literally just waiting here," she said.

Marie Dalama Acampong holds her one-year-old daughter Norlaila.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Marie Dalama Acampong holds her one-year-old daughter Norlaila.

The Acampong family break fast with rice, chicken, and pineapples during ramadan.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

The Acampong family break fast with rice, chicken, and pineapples during ramadan.

Acampong prays inside a mosque.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Acampong prays inside a mosque.

A picture shows the Acampong family after evacuating from Marawi in 2017.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

A picture shows the Acampong family after evacuating from Marawi in 2017.

A paining hangs on a wall at a bullet-riddled structure in Marawi City.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

A paining hangs on a wall at a bullet-riddled structure in Marawi City.

A class schedule is seen on a wall spray-painted with "ISIS" at a school in the war-torn area of Marawi City.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

A class schedule is seen on a wall spray-painted with "ISIS" at a school in the war-torn area of Marawi City.

Weeds have grown at the bullet-riddled Grand Mosque.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Weeds have grown at the bullet-riddled Grand Mosque.

A soldier walks on the rooftop of the war-torn Grand Mosque.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

A soldier walks on the rooftop of the war-torn Grand Mosque.

Damaged clothes are left hanging inside a dilapidated home.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

Damaged clothes are left hanging inside a dilapidated home.

The shore of Lake Lanao.
. Marawi, Philippines. Reuters/Eloisa Lopez

The shore of Lake Lanao.