Several refugees, mostly Catholics, in at least two villages in the state of Kachin in Myanmar were allowed to return home after Church leaders and civil society groups held a dialogue with military junta leaders.
A report on Radio Veritas Asia Kachin Lisu Service said leaders of the Myitkyina Christian Community, Peace Creation Group and the Wunpawng Amysha Mung Bawng Rapdaw met with security officials on March 21 to discuss the situation of the refugees who fled to the forests.
On March 22, residents of Sumpyi Yang and N Tsi Yang villages under the Lung Sha Yan parish were able to go back to their homes after fleeing in February to escape the shooting war between junta forces and the Kachin Independent Army and People’s Defense Force.
Widespread conflict since the military took control of Myanmar has increased the number of internally displaced persons to nearly 900,000, according to the United Nations.
Aid workers have earlier warned of worsening food shortages that are pushing the country ever closer to the brink of a humanitarian disaster.
The UN Humanitarian Office said last week that 519,900 people had been displaced by clashes between the military and anti-junta forces throughout the country of 54 million since the Feb. 1, 2021, coup, bringing the total of IDPs in Myanmar to 890,300.
The estimate of IDPs, which adds to the 370,400 people who had already fled conflict zones in Myanmar prior to the coup, came as a rights group called on foreign governments to take stronger action against the military’s widespread abuses in the lead up to Armed Forces Day celebrations planned by the junta for the weekend.
The agency said that civilians are suffering the consequences of escalated fighting in northwestern Myanmar’s Magway and Sagaing regions and the southeastern states of Kayah and Kayin, while aid groups have been hampered by tight security.
The four areas are centers of fierce resistance to junta rule and have seen some of the worst violence since the coup. – with a report from RFA
