Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region, are in need of blankets and warm clothes as the cold season is setting in, according to people helping the displaced.
Currently, more than 30,000 long-term IDPs in Kanbalu Township, and they need warm clothes and blankets, said an aid worker helping the IDPs.
“They have to hide in the jungle because military columns are stationed in the area. Some are staying in nearby villages, while others have fled into the jungle. Their main problem is food. There are over 30,000 long-term displaced people in Kanbalu. The residents of Koetaungboet and Chaptin village tracts have been displaced for over a year now. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the long-term displaced to obtain food,” he said.
“With the onset of the cold season, they need warm clothes and women urgently need sanitary napkins,” the person added.
On 15-16 October, residents of Chaungchar, Phalarya, Innma, Shankone, Pintthar and Magyikone villages in Kabalu Township were forced to flee into the jungle after troops from the Myanmar army and members of the Pyu Saw Htee militia shelled the Pintthar administrative area with light and heavy weapons, according to the Kyunhla-Kanbalu Activists Group spokesperson.
“The villagers of Koetaungboet, Chaptin and Pintthar are located near Myanmar army bases, so they were forced to seek shelter in the jungle. Some are housed in IDP camps. Others dare not stay in the village anymore because their houses have been burned down. The residents of Pintthar received the information about the junta’s incursion, so they could flee in advance,” he said.
Kanbalu Township has seen frequent clashes between the Myanmar army and local defense forces, forcing residents of villages to seek safety elsewhere and affecting their agricultural work, according to people helping the displaced.
One person helping the displaced said, “Villages near the military bases can’t do farming, but those a little further away still can. Currently, almost all villages are supported through donations and food distribution. But the situation has interrupted the education of children”
In October, the Myanmar army’s incursion into Kanbalu Township displaced about 3,000 people from six villages.
In addition, diseases such as seasonal flu are rampant among Kanbalu’s IDPs, who are in urgent need of medicine and other assistance. The Kanbalu-Kyunhla Activists Group (Kanbalu District) is currently working with Kanbalu PDF medics to provide medical care to the IDPs, the statement said.
Sent by NMG.
