Military council troops have blocked the evacuation of residents of Aung Myay (2) village in Waingmaw Township, Kachin State, where fierce fighting is taking place, threatening to shoot them if they try to leave the village, according to volunteers helping the trapped civilians.
The junta troops have blocked all exits from the village with bamboo since 8 March, trapping the residents inside. As of 10am on 11 March, no agreement had yet been reached on the evacuation of the villagers, according to an official helping to negotiate with the junta troops.
“We are trying to find ways, but they will shoot if the villagers leave. The military council troops have confined all the villagers in the monasteries while they conduct military activities in the village. They have blocked the exit to Aung Myay (1) with bamboo. Villagers and religious leaders have tried to negotiate with them, but nothing has come of it. Then they negotiated with the PCG (Peace-talk Creation Group), but the regional commander has not responded yet,” said the official involved in the negotiations.
In addition to local religious leaders and officials from religious organizations, the PCG negotiators have tried to negotiate the evacuation of the trapped Aung Myay (2) villagers, but the regional commander of Kachin State has not responded, according to the official.
Fighting between the military council troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied forces was ongoing near Aung Myay (1) and Aung Myay (2) villages until 11 March. As the villagers are trapped inside the village, they lack enough food, while some were killed by artillery shelling, the official added.
“The villagers want to leave the village because it is difficult to get enough food in the village, and their children are suffering. Some villages have died in the village. The villagers were told to bury those killed within the village grounds. There is no way out for them. They are being bombarded from the north with artillery, and airstrikes and drones. And as the ground troops are exchanging fire, all the villagers are afraid and want to leave,” the official said.
Aung Myay (2) village has over 200 households, with almost all residents currently trapped.
While the chief minister and the regional commander of Kachin State have been informed that civilians need to be evacuated urgently, negotiators are waiting for a response from the authorities, said War Shawng Sayadaw, who is involved in the negotiations.
“We have also informed the chief minister. He said he will submit a letter to make it official. We have also asked him to inform the regional commander, and the PCG as well. We have also asked the KIA not to engage in armed clashes. We are waiting for their permission to evacuate the villagers. Above all, we are waiting for the response from the regional commander,” said War Shawng Sayadaw.
As a result of the fighting, the water storage tanks in Aung Myay (2) village were damaged, leading to a total water shortage on top of food shortages. Efforts are being made to evacuate the trapped residents, the monk added.
On 10 March, around 1,000 displaced people from Aung Myay (1) village were evacuated to San Kar and Nawng Ching villages in Waingmaw Township. The evacuate was led by the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) in Sum Mar Zone area. However, the people trapped in Aungmye (2) have yet to be evacuated as negotiations continue.
Currently, the junta has around 200 soldiers in Aung Myay (2), while the KIA and allied forces are in Aung Myay (1). The junta is continuing its attacks to retake Aung Myay (1), which is under the control of the KIA, under the cover of residents of Aung Myay (2) , according to locals.
The Kachin Independence Army launched offensives on the junta’s camp in Shwe Nyaung Pin village and Lisu militia camp in Aung Myay (2) village. Fierce fighting continued until 11 March, with military tensions running high between the two sides.
Sent by KNG.