Kawthoolei, May (12)
There is an urgent need for humanitarian assistance for more than 400,000 people fleeing the conflict in the Kawthoolei administrative area, reported the Karen National Union (KNU) on May 11.
More than 400,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and live in fear as a result of the junta army’s and BGF forces’ increasing military activity and human rights violations inside the Kawthoolei administrative area since the military coup.
Over 100,000 individuals have lost their livelihoods as a result of the daily fighting and human rights abuses committed by the regime troops, and many are struggling to make a living.
Since January 2023, the KNU has been providing food for 85,000 people every month, the KNU said.
The KNU said that the displaced people are facing problems of lack of food, shelter and medicine, and urgent humanitarian assistance is needed for those fleeing the conflict.
Padoh Saw Kale Sae of spokesperson of KNU said, “The world knows that the people of Myanmar are suffering a lot right now. At the moment, the rainy season is approaching, so we are more concerned about the people living in the forest.
The KNU is also dealing with the needs of the people fleeing the fighting, and welcomes those who will provide humanitarian assistance to the displaced people, the statement said.
Saw Nanda Suu, the official of the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), stated that there is still a need for supplies for those escaping the conflict in the Kawthoolei area, and that the assistance provided on the ground is insufficient.
From January to April this year, more than 1,600 clashes took place between the junta army and aligned BGF and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO) in the KNU area, where fighting continues.
During these battles, more than 1,700 soldiers, including four battalion commanders and five deputy battalion commanders, were killed on the side of the military council and the BGF, while 59 KNU comrades sacrificed their lives for the country and people, and 196 were injured, said the statement.
News – Than Lwin Times
Photo: KNU
