Hundred dead' bodies seen in Marawi

On 15 June 2017, a politician from Philippines said residents fleeing besieged Marawi City have seen at least 100 dead bodies, scattered around the encounter area. Zia Alonto, a local politician who is helping with relief efforts in Marawi, told reporters on Thursday that 500-1,000 people were still trapped in the city, located on the southern island of Mindanao.

Volunteers have been trying to extricate hundreds of civilians caught in the crossfire via "peace corridors”. But many of those trapped were still opting to hide rather than risk being discovered by the fighters. Most residents, however, have run out of food and water.

Duterte withdrawn from public duties

Meanwhile, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has withdrawn from public duties this week because he is tired and needs to “rejuvenate”, his spokesman said Thursday as government forces battled Islamist militants in the biggest crisis of his rule.

Duterte, 72, has not been seen in public since Sunday and missed a scheduled appearance the following day at annual Independence Day celebrations in Manila, sparking speculation about the state of his health.

Analysis

Residents who initially fled and wanted to return to the city were being stopped by military forces. "Martial law is being imposed there and across the entire island of Mindanao. Anybody and everybody is subjected to investigation, even children. Meanwhile, a senior member of the ISIL-linked group was arrested by the military near the coastal city of Cagayan de Oro, some 100km north of Marawi.

Mohammad, an Arabic language teacher, is the suspected bomb-maker for the group. He was holding a fake student card of the Marawi-based Mindano State University when stopped at a checkpoint.

Most of the Muate brothers are believed to be in Marawi. Their parents have been taken into custody last week in separate cities. 290 people have died in over three weeks of fighting, including 206 fighters, 58 soldiers and 26 civilians.

Assessment

Duterte has led a war on drugs in which thousands of addicts and users have been killed. Under the constitution, the separately elected Vice-President shall act as President if the incumbent dies, is permanently disabled or removed from office. Our assessment is that, such a maneuverer should not be accepted by the people or the administration. Marawi, the city of 200,000 has been largely abandoned due to the large-scale devastation. It conveys that the city might no longer be inhabitable due to such political instability.

Source: Aljazeera