People displaced by armed clashes in Hway Hkar village in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, are preparing to return to their homes but are still unable to do so due to the continued presence of military council’s aircraft, according to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Hway Hkar village is currently under the control of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), but frequent overflights by the military council’s reconnaissance planes continue, raising security concerns and preventing the IDPs from returning to their homes, according to a Hpakant resident who is helping the IDPs.
“None of the IDPs have returned home yet. The ground columns have stopped coming. But reconnaissance planes come every day. That’s why they don’t dare to return yet. The planes also came yesterday. There were no flights today because of the cloudy weather,” said the Hpakant resident.
Combined troops of the Kachin Independence Army and the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) began attacking the Myanmar Army camp in Hway Hkar village in early January, forcing thousands of locals in the Hway Hkar area to flee to safety.
On 20 January, the KIA and PDF forces completely captured the military council camp in Hway Hkar village.
An official from the Kachin People’s Defense Force (KPDF) – a local defense group – explained the fact that the displaced residents are not yet able to return to their homes may be because of the KIA’s ongoing clearance operations in Hway Hkar village.
“Currently, resistance fighters are stationed in Hway Hkar. But the clearance operations are not yet complete. And there is still a lot to do. The situation is not yet stable, so the displaced people can’t return to their homes yet,” said the resistance official.
The armed clashes that broke out in Hway Hkar village forced the residents of Hway Hkar, Ma Kar Pin and Maw La Kin villages to flee to the urban areas of Phakant. The displaced people are living with their relatives in difficult conditions, according to IDP aid workers.
There are currently over 500 displaced people in Maw Shan village and around 1,000 in Hseng Taung village. These displaced people are unable to return to their homes and continue to need assistance, according to officials responsible for assisting the IDPs.
Sent by KNG.