Residents of Nat Than Kwin area in Kyaukkyi Township, Nyaunglebin District, Bago Region – an area under the control of the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 3 – are subjected to daily artillery shelling by military council forces.
This has led to their displacement of nearly three months since the outbreak of fighting, according to displaced locals.
In late December, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied forces launched attacks to gain control of the junta positions in and around Nat Than Kwin town.
The resistance offensives led to renewed armed clashes in the area, displacing nearly thousands of residents from their homes.
Since then, junta forces have been arresting and interrogating people who have returned home. They have also indiscriminately fired artillery into the area, suspecting presence, of resistance forces, damaging a number of houses inside and outside Nat Than Kwin, according to displaced residents of the town.
“The entire Ward 7 of Nat Than Kwin was burned down not long ago. With troops stationed in town, it’s not easy for us to return. Houses are set on fire every day. We hear very loud sounds every day. I don’t know what they are firing. The troops stationed inside the town don’t dare to reach outskirts of the town. So they seem to be firing blindly at areas where they suspect resistance forces. It’s been nearly three months since we fled our homes,” said a displaced resident of Nat Than Kwin.
With the total number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nyaunglebin District estimated at tens of thousands, civilian aid groups are unable to sufficiently meet all their needs.
The displaced people from Nat Than Kwin have had to rely on themselves for food and healthcare, according to the IDPs.
The resident of Nat Than Kwin said, “For medicines, we have to ask random travelers to buy them for us. They have to be careful not to get caught while carrying them. There are unannounced checks. Lately, the checkpoints are not always manned. So people carry the medicines through their contacts and slip through the checkpoints to buy what they need,” said the displaced resident.
The KNU’s central committee announced that from 4 to 8 March, the junta troops carried out artillery shelling and drone strikes on villages like Yae Le, Naung Kone, Ma Yan Sein Gyi, Ma Yan Sein Lay, Nga Nwar Seik, Ah Nyar Su and Ohn Pin Su villages in Mone Township. The drone bombings killed 7 civilians, wounded 14 others, and forced nearly 20,000 residents to flee their homes.
According to data compiled by the KNU and Karen civil society groups, the number of IDPs across KNU-controlled areas exceeded 700,000 between 2021 and late 2023. With over 240,000 people, Nyaunglebin District is the area with the highest number of IDPs.
Sent by KIC.