BANMAW (UCAN): Karuna (Caritas) Myanmar has stepped in to provide humanitarian aid as thousands of civilians have been displaced as a result of intensified fighting between the military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Momauk township, in Myanmar’s Kachin state.
Over 5,000 people were forced to flee their homes and take refuge at churches and monasteries, with the military deploying fighter jets and heavy artillery, according to Church officials.
Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam of Banmaw, said the Church has provided shelter, food and non-food items to the internally displaced persons (IDP), has collected donations from parishes and used Lenten funds for the humanitarian response.
“The situation remains tense as gunfire is still heard in Mansi township, although there has been a lull in intense fighting in Momauk township for three days,” the bishop said.
Bishop Gam, who is also the head of Caritas Myanmar, said men and women recently returned to their villages to farm while the elderly and children remained in the churches and monasteries.
“The villagers risk their lives to go back to their homes as it is an important time for farming and they will need to start growing rice next month,” the bishop said.
In Kachin state, both sides have used mortar shelling, according to a report by the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on April 27.
More than 100,000 people remain at various IDP camps in Kachin and Shan states since June 2011 due to renewed conflict.
More than 100,000 people remain at various IDP camps in Kachin and Shan states since June 2011 due to renewed conflict.
Kachin state, a predominantly Christian region, is home to about 116,000 Catholics out of a population of 1.7 million.
The military has also been fighting Karen guerrillas in southeastern Myanmar since March. Its airstrikes have caused over 40,000 people to flee into the jungle, while more than 3,000 have crossed the border into Thailand.
Since January, fighting has raged in Shan state between the military and ethnic armed groups displacing over 12,280 people, although half have returned to their places of origin, according to a UN report on May 11.
Kachin and Karen guerrillas who have supported anti-coup protests have engaged in intense conflict with the military since March.
Over 10,000 refugees have fled Myanmar since February due to violence and the deteriorating situation following the February 1 coup, according to the UNHCR.
Daily anti-coup protests continue despite a bloody crackdown by security forces which has claimed at least 782 lives. Countless more have been wounded and over 3,700 people are in detention, including many in situations that may amount to enforced disappearances, according to the UN.
The UN rights office said on May 11 that in the 100 days since the military seized power, the brutal repression of protesters has continued despite international efforts to end the violence.
