Manila: Alongside the task of providing humanitarian assistance to Marawi City evacuees, aid workers confront the difficult task of gauging the actual number of displaced residents and convincing these people that it is not safe for them to remain in their homes.

Pascal Porchet, Head of Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Philippines, said aid workers face difficulty in reaching those who are trapped in the fighting and persuading people who chose to remain in Marawi City that it is not safe for them to be in their homes.

“The situation is very fluid. Residents are moving in and out of Marawi, and we are seriously concerned about those who are trapped or have chosen to stay in the city who are in need of food and water. This is currently a challenge for our teams on the ground as they assess the situation in order to have a clear picture of the number of displaced people and their needs,” he said.

Porchet said they were only able to enter Marawi City last Friday, three days after heavy fighting between government forces and Maute militants broke out on Tuesday.

The government Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the ICRC had identified several areas within Marawi City and in adjacent Iligan City, some 40 kilometres away, as areas where people displaced by the fighting can get assistance such as food, medicine, water, blankets, among others.

According to the DSWD, 43,912 people from 20 villages in two regions affected by fighting in Central Mindanao have been evacuated.

But the government and aid agencies can only provide so much aid in easing the plight of the refugees.

Hours after fighting erupted between government forces hunting down leaders of the Maute and Western Mindanao-based Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, who was reported to have been taking refuge in Marawi City, President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law over the whole of Mindanao.

“International humanitarian law (IHL) remains applicable in this situation, even after the declaration of martial law in Mindanao. As such, it must be respected at all times and by all the parties. People who may be arrested must be treated humanely and the ICRC will continue to monitor their conditions and treatment,” he said.

IHL limits the means and methods of warfare and protects people who do not take part in the fighting (i.e. civilians, medics, aid workers) and those who can no longer fight (i.e. wounded, sick, captured or detained fighters). Porchet’s statements came amid reports that Maute had been engaged in rounding up civilians and executing them for suspected collusion with government. Unconfirmed reports said the bodies of eight men with their hands tied behind their backs, were found in a ravine in Marawi City on Sunday.

Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Restituto Padilla said 61 militant Maute had been killed in five days of fighting.

Just as well, the military had been accused by activist organisations of carrying out aerial bombardment of civilian areas.

Porchet said that even in times of conflict, rules must be observed and civilians must be spared and that all parties must pay heed to these restrictions.

Earlier, activist groups have accused the armed forces of carrying out bombardment of known civilian areas.

“These limits are particularly meaningful in populated areas where the risk of harm to civilians and civilian objects, including essential infrastructure, increases,” he said.