Survivors of brutal violence by Islamic State militants played a central role in advocating for reparations from the Iraqi government that failed to protect them, and though they question its ability to implement a reparations program, they have little choice but to hope.

It has been five years since the Marawi Siege ended, and while the government has steadily completed infrastructure projects at the former heart of the firefights, the Maranao people have not been able to return to their ancestral lands. Many suspect that the government’s plans to commercialize the city are what's really preventing the IDPs from returning.