Belin, May (26)
IDPs returning to Belin Township, an area controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU) 1st Brigade, are in dire need of food and shelter, the locals told Than Lwin Times.
In Belin Township, airstrikes on communities drove more than 10,000 people to flee to neighbouring forests, in addition to skirmishes between the military council and the KNLA.
Now that the fighting has receded, nearly 5,000 locals have returned home. But the airstrikes have damaged homes, leaving refugees in need of shelter and food.
“Now the situation is a bit more stable and many refugees have returned. With the rainy season approaching, there is still time to cultivate. But when the houses caught fire, they had to stay with relatives. It is not easy to rebuild a house because relief teams have not yet arrived, a local told Than Lwin Times.
Returnees fear that combat between the two sides would escalate, and that the junta will fire on their villages.
Fighting broke out between the two sides after the Karen National Defense Army (KNDO) issued a warning on April 20 to retreat to the military council’s camps in Lay Kay and Wintarpan villages in Belin Township, causing people to escape.
Currently, fighting between the regime forces and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) has receded in Belin Township, a KNU-controlled area.
News – Than Lwin Times
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