With the protracted armed conflict in Karenni (Kayah) State following the military coup, donor support for internally displaced people (IDPs) in the state has declined, and groups working to help them are also facing increasing difficulties, according to people helping the displaced.
A person in charge of of Job For Kayah – a group helping IDPS in Karenni State – said, “There are restrictions from the military council through pressures. Because of this, some groups are not able to reach this area. They can’t provide aid. They also can’t send aid. Then there are not as many donations as there used to be. Groups like us only distribute aid to the IDPs on the ground. So it has become difficult for us to raise funds. Even through campaigns, it has become difficult to raise such funds,” he said.
The IDPs said they face even greater difficulties because they cannot support themselves in western Demoso Township and aid is drying up.
Food supplies are sent to the area mainly from Moebye and Loikaw Townships, and the seizure of food, clothing and medical supplies by Myanmar army checkpoints has prevented supplies from reaching the IDPs, according to aid workers.
Under current circumstances, IDPs across Karenni State cannot grow their own food and thus have to rely on food aid from donors, aid workers said.
With UN agencies unable to effectively support the IDPs, community-based organizations are left to to urgently address the situation, said Maw Pray Myar, second secretary of the Karenni National Women’s Organization (KNWO).
“NGOs or large UN agencies haven’t provided assistance. Therefore, the situation is urgently being addressed with the help of community-based groups and CSOs. So now, as it is the rainy season, IDPs need tarpaulins again. And most importantly, they need food. In some areas like Demoso, food aid has been dwindled for a long time. IDPs have been eating one meal less, not three as usual. Adults eat only two meals a day, while children eat three,” she said.
IDPs in Karenni State have often faced rice shortages, raising concerns about long-term food supplies among those helping them.
Sent by Kantarawaddy Times.