More than 20,000 civilians have been forced to flee due to ongoing conflicts between joint Karenni resistance forces and combined forces of military junta and militias along the Shan-Karenni border, according to reports.
The fighting, which began in the first week of October and continues to date, erupted when junta forces and the Pa-O National Organization/ Pa-O National Army (PNO/PNA) launched offensives into Pekon and Pinlaung Townships along the border between Shan and Karenni States.
Khu Ko Reh, coordinator of the Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN) said: “Many villages along the Pinlaung-Pekon border areas have fled, as well as villages near Pekon. People have fled not only from the Pekon area but also from Loikaw in Karenni State. Some who fled to one village had to flee again later. The number of displaced people is now close to 20,000.”
He added that residents from approximately 10 villages in the Pekon and Pinlaung areas have been displaced, with entire six villages having fled.
Currently, displaced civilians are taking shelter in Pinlaung town, with some seeking refuge in Naungtayar and Nyaung Shwe Townships.
Naungtayar, primarily inhabited by Pa-O people, is a sub-township under Pinlaung Township in Taunggyi District.
On 31 October, a military junta drone strike targeted civilians fleeing in trucks near Ban Mauk village along the Pekon-Pinlaung border, killing two displaced persons and injuring seven others.
A local resident said: “The drone bomb hit them directly while they were trying to escape. There were three women and one little girl, about eight years old. From what we’ve observed, the military council and PNO troops are targeting displaced people using drones.”
According to Khu Ko Reh, fighting continued into the first week of November along the Shan-Karenni border, with the junta attempting to regain control of crucial routes into Karenni State.
“They’re trying to reinforce their positions in some Karenni areas they’ve lost. There are about three main routes they can use to bring in military supplies – through Pinlaung, through Nyaung Shwe. They’re trying to regain control of Loikaw. From Loikaw, they plan to reinforce southern Karenni. These are their main objectives,” he explained.
Military sources in the region report that since early October, intense fighting has included drone and airstrikes by the junta and Pa-O militia forces, resulting in casualties on both sides as well as civilian casualties.
Currently, displaced people are in urgent need of food, blankets, and shelter materials. There are concerns that civilians remaining in villages could be used as human shields by the junta troops or become trapped in the fighting.
Sent by NMG.