The missing people of Marawi

When conflict erupts, it’s common for people to go missing. Some may flee or go into hiding, while others may be trapped or end up in hospitals or detention facilities. When families get separated, there is a thick cloak of anguish that descends from not knowing what has happened to loved ones.

The issue of missing people in conflicts is often overlooked because of the urgency and magnitude of needs such as food,
water, or shelter. One year since the fighting broke out between government troops and fighters in Marawi City, rehabilitation and shelter, livelihood, education and other needs of thousands who remain displaced dominate the public attention.

But what about the families who are still unable to find their loved ones? Have we forgotten them? Hopefully not.

The issue of people who went missing during the armed conflict in Marawi is a complex and sensitive one. Under international humanitarian law (IHL), families have the right to know the fate of their missing loved ones.

IHL affirms the state’s responsibility to account for those who went missing due to conflict. The missing and their families are both considered victims. These families suffer a loss that is not just physical, but also psychological, emotional and social.

The plight of the families of people missing in armed conflict has been a consistent concern for us in the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a neutral, impartial and independent organization with the role to remind parties of the conflict to fulfill their obligations under IHL. This includes clarifying the fate of people who have disappeared.

We are often asked: How many people are looking for loved ones who went missing in the Marawi conflict?

We are following up on more than 100 persons reported by their families to the Red Cross teams as missing. Together with the Philippine Red Cross, we are stepping up efforts to accompany and support these families. At the same time, the ICRC has been supporting the Management of the Dead and Missing Cluster since the start of the crisis for the retrieval, management and identification of human remains.

However, we believe there are more people facing uncertainty, like 29-year-old Jalil of Marawi, whose parents remain missing. “You keep on looking for something but you can’t find it. It’s painful. I won’t be okay unless I see them,” Jalil said.

Unlike in natural disasters, families who lost loved ones in a conflict may not feel at ease to report these cases to the authorities due to cultural beliefs, lack of right information, or fear of stigmatization.

In complex and sometimes polarized circumstances, the work of an independent and neutral humanitarian organization like the ICRC becomes valuable. We can provide a safe space for these families to reach out to find answers and overcome the difficulties that the disappearance has caused. We may also provide technical advice to agencies dealing with unidentified human remains, to help bring closure to the families.

The families’ burden of “not knowing” is immeasurable. Moving on seems like a distant reality, and the uncertainty slowly gnaws at their insides. Proof of life or death often eludes them.

These families need all the support they can get. We must make sure they have accurate and sufficient information about what they can do and who to approach as they continue their search.

In contexts such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Falklands/Malvinas Islands, the process of tracing the whereabouts of missing people has been going on for decades.

Marawi’s families must not wait that long. If steps are taken now by all those with the responsibility and capacity to do so, we’ll be able to help the families to eventually know the fate of their loved ones.

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Camilla Matteucci leads the ICRC team in the Philippines focusing on support to families with missing members. The ICRC has been active in the country for over 70 years, aiming to prevent and alleviate consequences of armed conflicts. If you have information on a person who went missing in the Marawi conflict, contact the ICRC offices in Iligan, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Davao, or Manila, or the Marawi chapter of Philippine Red Cross.